Son of the wind
by Breeyar98
Summary: Sequel to Valleys of tears, which you shoul read before this. Breeyar joines the andalite special forces, and is faced with four hard years of intense training, AU, please review!
1. On the edge of the world

**Authors note: Here it is, the first chapter of the sequel to valley's of tears. I really hope you will like this as much VT, and do not hesitate to come up with suggestions:D**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!:))**

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**Metamorphstorm: Thanks a lot for your review to the last chapter of Valley's of tears, and I really hope you will like this as muxch as you liked VT!!!!!:DD**

**TheCrimsonTag: Thank you so much for your review for the last chapter of Valley's of tears. I am really grateful for all your lovely words, and suggestions. It is always nice when people really sit down and give you a long hearty review, while this really is great inspiration, thank you!!!! I hope you will like this as well:D:D:D**

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**Son of the wind**

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**Chapter 1: ****On the edge of the world**

A wall of cold hit me when I disembarked from the transport. Snow and ice settled in my fur, and a ruthless wind from the north ruffled it, making it stand on end. Hesitantly I moved away from the ship, following the fifty or so other recruits. We where all bending our heads down against the wind, desperately trying to find cover. A set of bunkers where visible at a distance, and I was surprised that the ship had landed so far away, especially considering the unpleasant environment. "All new recruits, over here", a thought speak voice demanded, coming from an old but tough looking prince that stood nearby, next to a fighter. Two other officers stood beside him, and I immediately recognised Foorlan.

The bunch of us lined up in front of them, shivering badly from the cold. A couple even went as far as covering their ears. As an Anaza I was not as bothered as the others, but even I did feel the coldness to some extent. This was definitely not a place I favoured. As far as my eyes could see there was only snow; snow, ice and mountains, not even a patch of decent winter-grass. I crossed my arms and coiled my tail over my back in an attempt at preventing myself from loosing too much warmth. The prince had started talking, but I did not really pay too much attention. I was too busy trying to keep myself from turning in to an ice cube, and besides the long, boring speeches held by parents, teachers, and apparently princes as well, had never been my thing. Instead I stood staring emptily at the horizon, wondering what in yaolin I was doing in such a place.

It was still not too late to turn back, but I did not know if I wanted too. This was what I had chosen to do with my life, and although I was unsure wheatear or not it was a good choice, I did not wish to give up, not know. I had been hand plucked because I held much promise, but this did not mean I would remain here. The SF is the harshest division of our military, and close to 90% of the recruits quit during the first year of training. I did not know exactly why so few made it through, but I did know that if I happened to be among the 10% that did make it, I would face the prospect of a very promising career. Then again I was also sad, heartbroken almost. For the next 4 years of my life I would be off-world, and then, should I complete my training without dying in the process I would be granted a couple of months leave. Everything I knew was at home, my family, Meradean, Milan, Amelia…… I would not see them in a long time, and I missed them already, after only three days.

I did not know very much about the training I would be put through, all I knew was that the first year would be spent on this distant ice moon, and that it would be harsh. However my perception of harsh turned out to be completely different from that of Foorlan and the other officers. My attention was abruptly drawn to them again, when I processed his next words. "The first year you will have to survive here, in the wild, on this moon", Foorlan said calmly, seemingly unconcerned with the shocked looks of the recruits. "Before this year is over I estimate that about 42 of you will quit, but of course, feel free to prove me wrong. Should you find that this is not your thing, you will just have to enter the bunkers you see at the distance, we will have people waiting". And with that all three officers promptly left, leaving us alone, stranded in the middle of a snow inferno.

At first no one moved, and then a huge argument broke out. A male named Heerim started fighting with someone whose name I did not know, and an angry crowd gathered around them, taking sides. I felt slightly out of place, and silently edged away from them. It would soon become dark, and I was smart enough to realise that I would have to find cover before then, unless I wished to return to the base the next morning. Then again it was also the fact that I would rather not be the centre of attention, again, and thus I tried to make a silent exit. The last three days I had been bombarded with questions and flirting, and to be honest I just wanted them to leave me alone. If I where to get through this year in the wild I could not afford to be distracted by such things. The males who gathered to watch the fight would probably not even make it through the first night, which suggested that there was no reason to socialise with them anyway.

My intensions of getting away unnoticed where however destroyed. "Mind if I join you?" A casual voice inquired, a male my age trotting up beside me. I waved my stalks in uncertainty, and we stared at each other for a while, each assessing the other. "We could team up together, just the two of us, at least then we have a decent chance", the stranger said, icy blue eyes clashing with my own golden orbs. Actually he did have a point, and besides I liked him. He seemed honest, smart, but most of all he was exactly the kind of male I would normally be friends with. I grinned at him, offering my tail in acceptance. "Partners", I said, laughing when he gave me a mock salute. "Great, I am Yiakle by the way, and yea, yea, I know who you are", He said, winking flirtatiously. I snorted dismissively at him, but could not help but grin, he reminded me about Milan, a wilder version perhaps, but even so, I liked him.

We trotted close together, shielding each other from the wind. It was slowly getting colder, and I was worried. What if we did not find sanctuary from the harshness of the wheatear before darkness fell? Then we would more or less freeze to death out here. A thick layer of ice crystals stuck to my fur, which should be more than enough proof to suggest that we had to find somewhere safe to sleep, a place where we could avoid the cold wind and the snow. Snowflakes had started falling from the sky a couple of hours earlier, and they where now coming in such amounts that it was almost impossible to see where we were going. "We have to find a place to crash", I said to Yiakle, gripping onto his wrist to avoid losing him in the snow chaos. "Over there!" He answered, gesturing with his tail to a huge assembling of snow. "We can dig out a cave". I skidded into a halt, staring at him with disbelief, a cave made out of snow, how come I had never heard of such a thing? As Milan would have said; probably because it was a ridiculous idea.

"A snow cave?" I repeated, and he smiled at my sceptic expression. "Yea, I read about it in school, apparently it is often done by human children to play during wintertime", he answered, seemingly unconcerned by my increasing worry. "Are you sure those human children knew what they where doing?" I requested, waving my stalks at him. He merely shrugged, a vain attempt at getting the snow of his back. "Do you have a better idea?" That silenced me, and after only a brief moment of hesitation we made our way in the direction of the assembled snow. As it turned out it was not just a heap of snow, it was a quite tall cliff, where the wind had blown the snow into strange shapes and formations all around it. We approached the biggest of the shapes, one who looked suspiciously like a fish, and then we started digging. It was tiring work, and the wind did not make it easy for us, blowing the snow back in the hole we had made. By now I was freezing. I could not feel my ears anymore, and the fur on my back stood erect, trying to prevent the cold snow from reaching the skin underneath.

It took us two hours to dig a hole of reasonable seize, and then, when we finally had settled inside, it was the matter of closing the entrance. After a lot of cursing and angry discussing we succeeded with this as well, and finally snuggled close to one another, desperately trying to maintain some warmth. It felt strange being so intimate with a complete stranger, but then again, did I have a choice? Yiakle was very attractive too, come to think of it. His icy blue eyes where somewhat unusual, and he was nicely built, with refined features and light blue fur. It could have been worse, much worse. After a while the both of us got more comfortable with each other, and I gradually started to relax, feeling sleepy. Our body heat had started to warm up the confined space of the snow cave, and despite my natural claustrophobia, I did not feel so bad. "Why did you decide to do this?" Yiakle asked me after a while, shifting so that I could rest my head on his back. "I don't know", I answered honestly, a stab of worry surging through me. What If he would think of me as a complete idiot for not having better reasons, as a, I don't know, a person with little finesse and sophistication, as someone stupid. I was not sure why his opinion suddenly seemed so important, but it did, and that was al which mattered. "Me neither", he answered, and I realized that I had just found my soul mate.

The wind got more and more violent during the night, and I slept uneasily, grateful for the comfort Yiakle offered. At that moment I could not possibly understand how I so naively had wandered off when we first arrived. I knew know that we truly needed each other. It was not enough being on your own anymore, not if you wanted to survive, to complete the one year in the wild without killing yourself. "I am glad you are here, that I am not on my own", I told him sleepily, not knowing if he was awake, but pleased when I felt his tail pulling us closer. His fur was warm, and I needed warmth, badly. The closeness of his body made all kinds of inappropriate thoughts pop up in my mind, and sighted contently when he leaned into my chest, the sensation reminding me about that one night I had spent with Meradean. I missed him, and more than ever I realised how much he meant to me. How much I…..cared, for him. The understanding he had for me meant more than almost everything else, and in a way, deep down, I knew that I loved him. Perhaps not as one would love a dear mate, but this was something deeper and more complicated. Something more final and more important.

Now I was without him, and it felt as if I stood at the edge of the world, about to fall and lose everything. Yet I knew that he believed in me, that he cared for me, and that he was there for me. He was so far away, and yet I could feel him there, in my mind, a faint call of deep encouragement, a bond that had always been there, but that I had just now discovered. It was the bond between Anaza warriors, between master and apprentice, and I felt a warm, comfortable feeling spread through me. I was not alone, I had Yiakle, and in some strange, supernatural way I had Meradean. For now this was all I needed, for now….


	2. Perfect strangers

**Authors note: I am very sorry for the wait, but here it is, the second chapter. The first few chapters will be a little slow going, but I promise, it will soon heat up. Anyway, the third chapter will not be up before next week, while i am going on vacation to Germany for five days. Enjoy!!!;))**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!!!**

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**Metamorphstorm: Great that you liked the chapter!!!!! I was sort insecure about it, so I was so relieved that you like the sort of hopeful vibe that I was going for. Thanks a lot of the review, and enjoy the chapter!!!!!!!:DDDD**

**TheCrimsonTag: Thank you so much for a very deep and flattering review!!!! I got really inspired when I read it. Great that you compared it too a survival course, and that observation with the parallell between Yiakle and M was very well spotted, and i glad that you think it was realistic. I was sort of worried about this chapter, while it is very different from Valley's og tears. That suggestion you came up with was kind'a clever too, I did get a great idea when I read it, say no more;))Anyway, thank you so much for following this story, and I hope you will like this chapter as well!!!:DDDDDDD**

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**Son of the wind**

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**Chapter 2: ****Perfect strangers **

"Breeyar?" A soft thud was heard, and I grunted, displeased when he shifted next to me. "Breeyar!" The thought speak voice repeated, more demanding this time. Moments later I felt a hand on my shoulder, shaking me. "What?" I finally responded, opening one stalk eyes to send my new friend a death glare. "We should get moving", he said, smirking slightly at my unenthusiastic expression. With a sight I opened all for eyes, using my arms to drag myself to the entrance of our snowy home. "You are not a morning person are you?" Yiakle asked me unnecessary, getting a slap from my tail in return. "No, I am not", I answered sourly, although I silently agreed with him, we should get going. However, as you probably know just as well as I do, what you should does not always equal what you wish to do. "I think we are trapped", I reported moments later, a familiar flare of claustrophobia awakening in my mind. I could literally smell Yiakle's panic as he progressed my words, and moments later the both of us where digging frantically.

"What if the air runs out", he asked me, eyes wide with worry. "Well….I don't know. In that case we will…….die" I said, regretting my words moments later, realizing that such a scenario actually was very realistic, our circumstances considered. "How?" Yiakle asked me, his tail quivering lightly. I sent him a strange look, wondering what could possibly make him ask such a question. "I don't want to think about it", I said, desperately trying to sound calmer than I was. Andalites are naturally claustrophobic. We are herd animals, meant to gallop the open planes of our world. To be underneath an unknown amount of snow, with limited air, in a confined area, well it was not exactly the most comfortable situation I had been in. And to add to it all, the entrance was now closed by a thick layer of snow, gathered by the storm that previous night. And then, finally, our misery was put to an end, and cold, fresh air rushed into the cave. I threw myself forward, pushing trough the last snow barrier and then I was out, wide, open planes al around me. Yiakle stumbled out right behind me, almost collapsing with relief.

For a brief moment we just stood there, staring at each other, and then I started laughing. Yiakle joined in, and although we probably looked ridiculous I could not find it in my heart to care. We had acted like two newborn foals afraid of the first snow, but it did not matter, it was not like anyone had witnessed our behavior, luckily! "We don't tell anyone about this, right?" Yiakle asked me, sending me a sidelong glance. "No…no we don't", I agreed, trying not to think about the humiliation had someone seen us. We where supposed to be the best of the best, the finest warriors the andalite military had to offer. And there we where, panicking because the entrance of our snow cave was a little more solid than the day before.

We strolled casually side by side, taking in the divine landscape. Despite the lack of vegetation, of plants, grass and trees, the environment we andalites favor above all else, I will admit that it was indeed beautiful. It was like a desert of ice, a wasteland of glimmering snow and cold, which despite its harshness was beautiful in its own strange way.

We trotted south, on the look out for at least something which resembled winter grass. Although I was not sure such things existed here, surely there had to be something. Foorlan and the other officers would never have placed us here unless there was at least something we could grass on. At this point I did not even care what it would taste like, as long as it was eatable. It had taken some time for us to really notice the hunger, but it had become increasingly dominant over the last few hours. At first we had been on the look out for two things, a place to sleep, and some decent grass, now we only cared about the latter one. Strange how hunger can make you forget everything else.

I was moving on instinct now, trying to find the part of my mind who knew things, the one Meradean had taught me how to use. Hour after hour we ran, and to my surprise Yiakle trusted me, did not question me even once, he merely followed, and thus I got more secure, more confident. I could do this, I had been designed to survive and thrive under harsh conditions, it was about time I embraced that part of myself. So I did what I had been taught, I followed my instinct, allowed the wind to guide me. To show me where I would go.

And, then, just as the darkness of the night was about to settle, we found it. Relief flowed through me as we rounded a heap of black rocks, scurrying down a hillside and into an aerie looking valley. There was no real vegetation, no trees, but the ground was covered in the unmistakable substance of winter grass, the glimmering white straws standing out against the snow in a very strange way. I accelerated into a flat out gallop, leaving Yiakle behind in a cloud of glimmering snow crystals. Moments later waves of deep satisfaction flowed through me as my hooves made contact with the fluffy whiteness on the ground. The taste was bitter, and not pleasant, but at that moment none of this mattered. It could have been worse after all. We crisscrossed the pasture several times, and to my relief a closer inspection revealed that it was quite wide and that the grass covered a large areal, which meant there would be plenty for the both of us. When I was full I simply lied down, rolling contently in grass, and enjoying the feeling of warmth that spread through me, the satisfaction of not being hungry.

We lay there for a while; having adapted to the cold climate it was not so bad. But in the end we had to get up, forced to look for a place to spend the night. We found it after a quick tour of the valley. A cave located in between two cliffs, with soft sand on the ground and a high ceiling. The entrance was small, and I smirked slightly when it struck me that an andalite like Gafinilan would never have been able to get through. It was of course pitch black inside, but my ears told me that we where the only one there. Not that there was many dangerous animals on this barren moon, but one could never know. We settled quickly, cuddling together in the farthest corner of the cave, listening to the wailing wind beating against stone. "It is not so cold anymore", Yiakle commented, resting his chin on my back. "No", I agreed. "Perhaps we have gotten longer fur". Yiakle shrugged, and the both of us fell silent, slowly drifting off too sleep, calmed by the soft gusts of wind.

When we awoke the next morning the wheatear had improved considerably, and I hummed with satisfaction as I performed my morning run, the sun warming my back. This would be a busy day, no doubt. I was on the lookout for fire stones, which had turned out to be a necessity. So, while Yiakle struggled to make some sort of door to cover the entrance of the cave, in order to keep the snow out, I was exploring some nearby rock formations. We had been told, on our way to my present location, that burnable stones where common among mountains or rock formations at the moon. Of course I had not paid much attention, while I had taught that this information was completely unnecessary. But, at least I had been able to gather this simple fact which would, hopefully, keep us warm during future nights. Now it was only the matter of finding them. I had been told that they where supposed to be of a light blue, pinkish color, but the stones I had seen this far had only been black or deep grey.

As I said I was supposed to be looking for fire stones, but I was interrupted before I got that far, the familiar sound of hooves made my ears perk up, and I immediately heard that this was not Yiakle. He would always move with very long, light strides, and I could easily tell on the dull and heavy sound that this male was a lot bigger and heavier. The realization that another male had shamelessly wandered into my domain made the fur on my back bristle in irritation, before I realized what I was doing and calmed myself down. Relief flowed through me. At least no one had witnessed my behavior, and thus I could just forget it. Perhaps it was our situation that had awakened some old survival instinct within me, I don't know. With that I shook my head a little, before trotting down the hillside to confront the stranger. Moments before I saw him the wind changed, and I inhaled his scent, identifying it as familiar, no doubt one of the other recruits, although I was not sure which one.

He rounded one of the great rock formations, and skidded into a halt when he spotted me. "Hello", I said, deciding to be at least a little welcoming. Surely there was enough space for one more andalite in our cave. "Hello", he replied, edging closer. He was, as I had predicted, quite big and powerfully built. Although we where equal in height he was more compact, with thicker legs and a broader back. "I am Samarian Haman Grange", he said, exotic hazel eyes meeting mine. "Breeyar Arrangor Anaza", I replied, touching tales with him as was appropriate. If he recognized me or my name from the various tailfighting competitions he did not show it. A polite guy this Samarian, I decided, polite and judging by his eyes, loyal. "I am with another male, we have found a cave not far from here, if you need somewhere to stay", I offered, immediately recognizing a flare of gratitude in his brown eyes. "That had been exquisite", he responded, and I could tell that he had probably bin wandering cluelessly about since we had been abandoned by Foorlan. "There is grass too", I said, leading the way back. "Great", he said, sounding even more cheerful. "And by the way there are loads of those fire stones, up in that direction", he said, gesturing with his tail to the direction he had come from. This day could not have gotten any better!

That night was by far the most comfortable since we arrived on the iceball of a moon that would be our home for the next year. Samarian and Yiakle got along well, and while the both of them seemed to prefer sleeping next to me I was kept warm the entire night, lying in between them. Another improvement was the fire stones, which gave smokeless fire. Soon the air inside the cave held a comfortable temperature, and the door like structure Yiakle had put together that morning held the snow outside and the warmth inside. It was a strange feeling, resting in the dark, in between and very close to two other males that I barely new. Physical contact with people you do not know is considered inappropriate in our society, and I was very uncomfortable at first. Yiakle was one thing, at least I knew him a little, Samarian and the other hand, was a complete stranger. Yet again I somehow new that I could trust him. He seemed very open and caring, emotional even, fatherly, that was the word. And in a way I think both I and Yiakle needed the security such an individual represented.

Things where looking up, perhaps joining the SF had not been such a bad idea……


	3. What it takes

**Authors note: Okay, here we go again, the third chapter. This is the turning point of the story, and things will finally start to heat up. Enjoy!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

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**Metamorphstorm. Thanks a lot for yet another great review! i am delighted that you liked the chapter, although I hope it did not seem unrealistically hopeful. Hope you will like this one was welll! :DDDDD**

**TheCrimsonTag: Thank you so mych for another inspiring review! Not to worry, it was a great review, and we will see how Samarian turns out to be quite soon;)) Anyway, writers block is crap, but trust me, you will soon find inspiration again, and I can't wait to read the next chapter of your story. Thanks for the review, and I really hope you will like the chapter!:DDD**

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**Son of the wind**

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**Chapter 3: ****What it takes**

Life was harsh. It was cold, difficult and lonely, and yet I had discovered that I did not belong in any other place. For the first time in my life I had been physically challenged. Sure, I had endured Meradean's hard training, I had fought countless tailfighting matches, but I had never been pushed this far. And, in a way, I liked it. Every day was a struggle, and I thrived, grew stronger and faster, became a more efficient fighter. At this point I was only bones, fur and muscles. Even my coat had become long and heavy, protecting me against the cold wind and snow.

We had been living on the moon for two months now, and during this time two other males had joined our little community. Perrylan, or Perry as we called him, had joined us a couple of weeks after Samarian, and the three of us where immensely impressed that he had survived for as long as he had. When I first laid eyes on him I had been certain that he was a female. He was small and lithe, with a very feminine built. Had it not been for his tail blade I would seriously thought he was one. Despite his physique he had endured the harshness and thus I allowed him to stay, impressed by his willpower and strength. He did of course receive a lot of teasing, but hey, we all cared about him. Perry was a silent and shy guy, he blushed easily, and he was barely able to form coherent sentences when I was around. Yiakle and Samarian thought it was funny; I did too of course, at least to some extent. Then again I was also kind of flattered, and a little worried. I had no interest in an intimate relationship with him, and I was afraid that should I dismiss him he would crack.

Our newest member had arrived about a month ago. Kalasia was, much like Samarian, a responsible and fatherly individual, and after only a couple of days close bonds had been formed. While both me and Yiakle where rebellious types, Kalasia was just what was needed. Samarian had many of the same qualities that he had, and together they kept us more or less in line. Despite this I was the unchallenged leader of our little community, and surprisingly enough they came to me the moment something went wrong, or in this case, if something odd occurred. "Breeyar! Breeyar!" Perry shouted from outside, making me jerk in surprise. For once there was no stuttering or insecurity in his voice when he addressed me, which suggested that something serious had happened. I scurried to my hooves, trying to suppress my irritation over being so brutally pulled away from sleep. It was very early in the morning, and I was surprised he had decided to get up so early. The others got up beside me, and an angry murmur erupted among them as we made our way outside to see what the fuss was about.

"What?" I asked, gazing pointedly at him. He skidded into a halt before me, snow spraying all over Yiakle who regarded him with a dangerous look. Perry shivered slightly and stared at me, at a loss of words for a moment. I resisted the urge to sight as the familiar blush made his face glow, and caught Yiakle flashing me an amused smirk. "I…I..There is…..there is a female down by the lake", he finally blurted out, all four eyes on my face. For a brief moment all I felt was confusion, surely this female had too be a morph. But why in yaolin would one of my fellow recruits morph a female? Actually I could think of several rather…inappropriate reasons, which I and Milan had discussed several times when we where younger, but why here and why now? Morphing was forbidden as long as we where living in the wild, breaking this rule would mean leaving the SF. And furtermore why would someone take on a weaker form in this place? It was not exactly a very welcoming environment, especially not for a female. "A female", Kalasia repeated, staring at me as well. Actually they where all staring at me, and I realized that they expected me to tell them what to do. "Did she see you?" I asked Perry, trying to come up with some sort of plan. "No, I..I am pretty sure she did not", he stuttered back, blushing profoundly.

The smartest thing would be to find her I decided. Fortunately Perry had ran straight back the moment he spotted her, and thus our chances of finding her where relatively good. She would not have gotten to far away; she might even still be by the lake, which was a major advantage for us. What we would do when/if we found her I had not regarded with much thought; I just hoped that everything would turn out well, for all of us. Females where not allowed in the military, and if this was not a morph I would have no other choice but bringing her to the base. If I did not they would charge me for breaking the basic military rules, the ones I had swore upon my tailblade to honor, and I would be disgraced, force to leave the military. I would never allow such a thing to happen, never, this was my home now, and I would not leave it, not over something like this. For all I knew it could just be some nasty recruit having decided to morph a female for his own perverse reasons, and in that case there was nothing to worry about. Then we could just leave him on his own to do whatever he wanted too.

It was not by any means a long run, and we made it in less than fifteen minutes. The last kilometer we even spread out and slowed to a silent trot, trying to avoid her from discovering us. The wind was on our side as well, and I caught her scent moments later, exited and somewhat aroused by the sensation. Even in the icy air it was strong and appealing, and the fur on my back stood on end. It was the scent of a female in heat, a smell any male would recognize miles away. I trotted faster, strayed away from the others. The wind was blowing her scent right at me, as always helping me when necessary. The others had not caught the smell, while they where to far south. And, at the moment I was too preoccupied to notice. Then again this was probably good. Five males and one lone female of mateable age could not possibly be a good combination. Her scent suggested that she was at a point in her cycle when hormone levels where high, which made it unlikely that it was a morph. A morph would after all only last for two hours, and could not go through the entire cycle in a mere two hours.

As I ran her scent became stronger, and soon I could hear the familiar yet foreign sound of crunching snow underneath dainty hooves. I caught sight of her as I rounded the next rock formation, and quickly disappeared among the snowy hills in the Anaza way, silently sneaking alongside her. She was beautiful, more so than even Amelia. Her fur was light blue, she was tall and elegant, and her eyes where colored a rich purple. I inhaled her scent deeply, savoring the sensation. The way she moved, looked, smelled, everything about her just had a very sexual vibe about it. I shock my head a little, struggling to tear my gaze away from the sensual movements of her hindquarters. Yaolin, I was supposed to confront her and bring her back to the base, not mate with her. Yet I seriously considered the option of just bringing her back to our cave and then we could….No, no, I should not even be thinking about it, I was clouding my own judgment.

"Hello stranger", I said, giving her only a brief warning before I jumped out, landing right in front of her, blocking her advance. She froze, sending me a startled look. A dozen emotions flashed in her eyes at the sight of me, and then she ran. I stared dumfounded at her retreating form for a mere two seconds, and then I shoot forward, chasing her. She was surprisingly fast, and unlike me she seemed to know the terrain. Being an Anaza male I was faster, but I had never been this far north of our cave before, and my inexperience with the landscape had become her advantage. She turned sharp left, galloping flat out along one of the bigger rock formations. Here she could run faster than me, and struggled, jumping left and right to avoid sharp rocks that stuck up from the snow. "Wait!" I called out. "I am not going to hurt you, I promise". There was no response, instead she ran faster, slowly leaving me behind.

And then, finally, the landscape changed to my favor. Instead of slippery rock formations we had now entered the ice covered lake. The land was bare, no vegetation, no rocks, no nothing. I immediately accelerated, and despite her impressive speed I easily caught up with her. For a brief moment we ran side by side, our bodies only centimeters apart. The sensation made my hearts beat faster, and despite the wind the fur on my back bristled. Our eyes locked, and then, in one swift movement I lashed out with flat of my tail, forcing her to lose her balance. She thundered into the ice with a scream, and I visibly cringed as an awful cracking sound echoed in my ears. I was pretty sure I had broken some of her ribs. Her body slid along the ice for a couple of meters, before it fell silent, a pathetic heap of bones and fur. I slid down on my haunches to reduce my speed without falling, before quickly trotting back to where she had fallen.

She was laying on her side, gasping for air, her legs kicking frantically. I quickly knelt down beside her, and dragged her up, feeling somewhat guilty. Breaking Yiakle's ribs was one thing; he was a male after all, and not as vulnerable. "I am very sorry, are you hurt?" I asked her, gently feeling her flank to assess the damage. With an enraged scream she leaped away from me, eyes gleaming with rage. "Get your hands off me you creep", she sneered, her petite little tail poised and ready. I could not help but smirk a little at her enraged expression and almost masculine stance. "What, what are you laughing at?" She demanded, and to my surprise she approached me again, trying to appear tough and unafraid. "Nothing", I answered, my smile widening a little. "Are you okay? I did not mean to hurt you", I said, actually meaning it. She merely huffed at that, threatening me by swinging her tail forward. "Leave me alone", she said, her voice cold and even. Yet I detected a hint of insecurity in her tone, and it struck me that despite her tough exterior she was afraid. Of me, or someone else?

"I am afraid I have no other choice than escorting you back to the base" I said, promptly ignoring her demand. Her expression was unreadable, but she did not run. She couldn't I realized, noticing the way she avoided putting weight on her left front leg. The fall had damaged her more than she would admit. "Come on, this way", I said, gesturing in the direction of the SF base. She did not move an inch; she merely stared accusingly at me. "I can't walk properly, my leg is broken", she finally admitted, humiliation and defeat visible in her eyes. "Morph", I suggested, wondering why she had not done so already. "Then I will be out", she said, her words confirming my suspicions. Morphing during our time spent on the moon was against the rules. If you morphed they would throw you out of the SF. I was shocked but not really surprised at her decision. She was a female, and thus not allowed to be here, yet I did understand that when she had gone trough all this trouble to come here, she refused to ruin it by morphing.

"I'll help you", I offered, carefully edging closer. Despite the glint of fear in her purple orbs she did not resist, but allowed me to support her damaged side. She was different, tough, not like the females I was used to. The memory of Onelia resurfaced at this revelation, and a stab of guilt and sorrow surged through me. I quickly suppressed it, trying to forget. And thus I leveled my attention to her, wondering who she was, what had driven her to break the rules of society and join the SF, undoubtedly in disguise. And furthermore, wondering why I was so impressed.


	4. Snowblind

**Authors note: Here we go again, another chapter. As you can probably guess at the ending next chapter will be M rated;)))Hope you like it!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

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**Metamorphstorm: I am delighted that you liked the twist:)) All your questions will be answered in this chapter, or at least some;)) Thank you so much for a great review! and I hope you will like the chapter:DDD**

**TheCrimsonTag: Nah, you guessed wrong;)) It is not Amelia, but you are onto something. Anyway, thank you so much fot yet another awsome review! The two fatherly guys will soon get some more depth, and rest assured there are more characters to come, quite soon actually;DD **

**I am delighted to hear about the scoolarship, you must be really good, and it is a great opportunity! Good luck:DDDDAs for your question you just log in, then you go back to the main page and viola, you can read everything that is on the site while being logged on:DDD **

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**Son of the wind**

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**Chapter 4: ****Snowblind **

Her presence was met by a sudden silence, immediate shock written in the eyes of my brothers in arms. Perry was blushing; no surprise there, Yiakle had that unnerving smirk of his plastered on his face, while the rest merely stared. "I found her", I announced, trying to ease the tension somewhat. "I can see that", Yiakle responded, winking at me. I merely rolled my eyes at him, having gotten used to his slightly inappropriate gestures months ago. The female shifted uneasily next to me, and I realized that she was probably very uncomfortable, having so many males around her. It also struck me that I had not introduced myself, nor asked for her name. Slightly embarrassed by this I quickly decided that I would accompany her back to the base, while the others would remain by the cave and the immediate area. As predicted this decision gave me a couple of raised eyebrows and meaningful glances, with the exception of Yiakle who merely voiced his concerns out load. "Have a nice raid", he said to the female, eyes glittering playfully. We left moments later, me supporting her damaged side, at the same time trying to brush off Yiakle's words.

"I am very sorry, he was just joking", I assured her, genuinely embarrassed. She merely snorted in response, sending me a suspicious glance. "I am sure he did", she then said, not sounding convinced at all. "I am Breeyar Arrangor Anaza", I introduced myself moments later, hoping that perhaps being polite would improve her mood. "I know that", she said haughtily, looking at me as if I was stupid. Despite my annoyance over this I promptly ignored her rudeness, and made another attempt at conversing with her. "May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?" I asked her, thinking that at least this question could not be turned into an offense. "Illewia Heran Flian", she replied, glancing briefly at me. "After the flower?" I asked, smiling pleasantly at her. "Of course", came the quick reply, and I detected a somewhat bitter edge to her voice. "Aren't all females named after vulnerable and pathetic things?" The both of us fell silent after this, and I wondered why she seemed so bitter, why she hated what she was. I knew that she wanted to join the SF, the military, but I had no idea why or how she had planned on doing this. She was a female, and it was illegal for her to choose such an occupation.

We walked on in silence, mile after mile. It surprised me that she did not complain, while it was obvious that she was in pain. Then again perhaps it was a matter of honor for her, just like it was for me. It is not accepted in our society for males to show unnecessary weakness, for females on the other hand, this is more or less expected. Perhaps that was what she wanted, to be a male. I did not know, but it seemed reasonable. Had she been a male she could have joined the SF without any fuss, she would have had a lot more freedom than she did as a female. "Do you wish you where a male?" I asked her, regretting my words moment later. Come to think of it that had actually been a pretty rude question. Then again she was not very polite either. She pulled away from after a moment of shock, spinning around on three legs to face me. "Of course not", she declared, giving me a quick once over, almost as if she wanted to prove her point, that she did not need what I had. Instead she threw my own question back at me. "Do you wanna be a female?" She asked, glaring daggers at me. "No, not really", I replied, waving my stalks in uncertainty.

After only a brief moment of hesitation she accepted my supporting shoulder, and we continued our slow but steady advance. The base was about ten kilometers away, but this would take quite sometime, considering she had a broken leg. More time to talk I reflected, sending her a sidelong glance loaded with curiosity. She intrigued me in a way I had never before experienced, I found myself unable to figure her out, and she was different. "How did you get here?" I asked her after a while, unable to leave the subject alone. She shrugged, twitching her petite tail uncomfortably. "I did a froolis maneuver", she answered, her eyes once again wandering over my frame with an expression I could not quite place. "You morphed a male", I stated, somewhat disturbed by this fact. "But how did you plan on getting enlisted? You'd have to morph every two hours and surely you could not use your own identity", I continued, watching her face closely with my stalks. Her actions seemed quite irrational, and I wondered if she had really thought this through. Her expression confirmed my suspicions, and I could feel her shoulders slump as she leaned heavily against me.

"I did not rally plan this, I guess I just sort of went with it, with my…intuition. I sort of hoped that if I proved my worth, that then perhaps they would…..", she trailed off, leaving the last words for me to ponder. And in a way I did understand her, and I pitied her. "You wanted to fight?" I asked unnecessarily, my voice unusually soft. "Yes", she said bitterly, her hand squeezing my shoulder uncomfortably where she gripped it for support. "It is so easy for you", she went on, her voice almost angry now. "You can do whatever you want to with your life, you are free to choose. No marriage will take your dreams and career away. No, you can do whatever you want to, and it is not fair. I am just as good as any male", she sheeted, leaving me slightly stunned at her tirade. "Surely life for a female can't be that bad", I said carefully, tensing when her fingers bored into my shoulder with renewed force. "That is so easy for you to say, you have everything Breeyar, everything! You do not risk being married off to someone twice your age. Someone who will take your freedom away, and only look at you during the mating season", came the passionate reply, and it struck me that her personality resembled that of Kliana, my sister.

I did not know what to say to her, how to ease her obvious despair, and too my surprise I realized that wanted to help her. "Perhaps if you talk to the officers at the base, tell them that this is what you wan", I suggested, knowing just as well as she did that this was not a likely scenario. "Why are you being so nice to me?" She suddenly asked me, catching me completely off guard. "I am nice to everyone", I said, smirking playfully at her. She rolled her eyes at me in a very unfeminine way, and waved her stalks in a gesture of irritation. "You know what I mean", she said, gazing pointedly at me. "Unlike most males you have not laughed at me, teased me or dismissed me, and neither have you tried to rape me". I shrugged, not knowing what to say. "Not all males do such things", I said after a while, my thoughts drawn to Onelia again. "But you should know that I am no saint either". She sent me a curious glance, but did not address the issue. "You think I am ugly then, since you have not done anything?" She asked, her voice surprisingly calm, but also slightly hurt. "Of course not", I quickly responded, staring at her. "If you wanted to I would gladly mate with you, but you do not seem interested", I said, shocked at my own honesty. What in yaolin was wrong with me, from when had I started discussing such things with a female?

She smiled slightly at my words, eyes gleaming. "Really?" She asked, disbelief and smugness radiating from her. I waved my stalks in response, grateful that my Anaza stripes would hide a potential blush. This conversation had turned out to become very strange, and furthermore I realized that she was even more different than what I had originally thought. "Who wouldn't?", I asked in return, my eyes glittering with a combination of amusement and uncertainty. She tilted her head to the side, as if contemplating me. "You are very unusual Breeyar", she finally said, and to my surprise I recognized a fain tinge of respect in her voice. "I am an Anaza", was my oh so deep reply, and for a moment we merely stared at each other, before she started laughing. Things got easier after this, and our conversation flowed effortlessly, concentrating on the war, the military, gender, race, everything. In many ways this was the deepest conversation I had had since arriving at the icy moon. She had another perspective, one which I had not encountered before, and she thought about things. Much like I myself did she brooded, thought, contemplated, instead of just accepting things she questioned them. In a way it was a relief, having such a conversation again. Then again it also made me nostalgic, and a wave of longing surged through me, the familiar face of Meradean popping up in my mind.

We walked on for most of the day, following the wind. Or rather, I was following the wind, sensing her puzzlement at my unusual sense of direction. We reached the base early in the evening, just after dark, and I stopped just outside the forcefield, somewhat nervous as to what would happen. Moments later a powerful white light was turned on, and I spotted three figures approaching us from the other side of the forcefield. If they where surprised at Illewia's presence they did not show it, instead they turned of the forcefield, allowing us inside the facility. We where escorted through a wide corridor, and I felt waves of deep satisfaction run through me, as my hooves absorbed nutrients from fresh blue grass. The air was comfortable too, warm and light, and I resisted the urge to shiver with delight at my new surroundings. The pleasantness would however soon come to an end, and after a quick walk we ended up in a wide and roomy conference room. The floor was covered in a variety of luscious green and blue grass, and the walls where tinted an inviting light blue. A computer console rested in the corner, and the one-way windows allowed us to admire the cold, snowy world outside.

At that moment I seriously considered lying down on the floor and roll in the grass, but war prince Foorlan entered moments later, and I struggled to stand at attention while supporting Illewia. He watched me with a combination of surprise, lust and amusement, his eyes wandering shamelessly over my body. "Given up already Breeyar?" He asked me, smiling somewhat mockingly at me. "No sir", I quickly replied, trying my best to appear professional and unmoved. "I found this female out in the wild; she was hurt so I figured I should bring her back". He tilted his head to the side, leveling his gaze at Illewia for the first time since arriving. "A female, here?" He then said, genuinely surprised. "Why have you not morphed away your injury?" he then addressed her, a look of distaste visible in his eyes. "It is against the rules sir", came the quick reply, her eyes never leaving his. He snorted, twitching his tail in annoyance, a haughty expression settling on his features. "And what makes you think these rules apply to you", he asked her, completely aware of the implications of the question. He probably knew exactly what her answer would be too I reflected, his forest green orbs briefly clashing with mine. "I…I want to join the SF", Illewia said, still looking right at him.

His face contorted in amusement, eyes gleaming slightly. "You are aware of the risks?" He then asked, glancing briefly in my direction. "You know what will most likely happen to a lone female among a mob of young males?" She did not answer his question, but leveled her gaze at the floor, clearly struggling to hold her temper. "Now leave", the war prince then said, gesturing at the door. I immediately tightened my grip of her shoulder, supporting her as we headed for the door. "No, not you Breeyar, you can stay".

His words made my entire being tense with anticipation. Another warrior took my place at Illewia's side, and then the door closed, leaving me alone with Foorlan.


	5. Total eclipse

**Authors note: MATURE CONTENT WARNING! Okay it is not that bad, but the last couple of paragraphs contain slashy stuff, so don't like don't read. Anyway, this is an important chapter, much due to the fact that new alliances are made, which will be important for the future;DD**

**PLEASE REVIEW!;DDDD**

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Metamorphstorm: Thank you sp much for yet another great review. I have to admit that the last comment you made, about Foorlan outranking Breeyar was right on point, and also exactly what this chapter will focus on;)) ANyway, thank you so much for a great review, and I hope you will like the chapter:DD

TheCrimsonTag: Thank you so much for an awsome review! Your review are particularly great because they are so long and always filled with your thoughts and suggestions, which are really inspiring! I am glad you did not think the cliffhanger was to obvious, because this really did worry me somewhat. Anyway, I hope you like the chapter, and I hope you will update Singularity soon! Can't wait for the 5th chapter;))

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**Son of the wind**

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****Chapter 5: ****Total eclipse **

The storm wailed furiously outside, powerful winds thundering against the forcefield. I stood perfectly still, warily keeping three of four eyes trained on the older male. He merely watched me, his eyes unreadable. For a while the both of us just stood there, gazing pointedly at each other. His stance was one of relaxation and confidence, mine attentive yet aggressive. Much like that first time we had met, when he offered me a place among the SF recruits, he intimidated me. There was something about him that made me feel small, vulnerable almost. He understood me, not to the same extent as Meradean of course, but to a certain degree he did, and this frightened me.

"You had me worried for a moment", he said, breaking the awkward silence that had ensued. "I never thought you where a quitter". He smiled this time, his deep forest green orbs glittering in a very attractive way. I waved my stalks in response, unsure on how to act around him. He himself had taken on a very informal tone, as if we where friends, or even lovers. Yet I knew that it could easily be considered an offense should I take on the same casual tone with him. He was after all an outranking officer. The implications of this made me uneasy, but I did not give anything away, I merely watched him attentively, waiting. When he suddenly moved forward, approaching the door, I tensed momentarily, but when he did not touch me, merely gestured for me to follow, I calmed down a little. I followed him at what I presumed to be a safe distance, just outside the reach of his tail. He was moving with the typical looping gate of a warrior, his tail arching up with the blade poised and ready. Dangerous, that was what he was, a formidable tailfighter.

I had learned enough during my time under Meradean to know that Foorlan was good. The way he moved, his stance, everything suggested great balance, speed and strength. He had the typical poise of a tail fighter, graceful yet powerful, and he carried his tail like a natural elongation of his body. There was no awkwardness in his movements, only power and confidence. I wondered what it would be like to fight him, if I could beat him. Someday I would be the best, this Meradean had told me several times, but this was somewhere in the future. I was still to young and inexperienced to beat a master, one like Foorlan, or perhaps, one like Meradean. He startled me a little, suddenly stopping in front of a doorway. I almost ran in to him, brooding as I always did. He glanced briefly at me with his stalks, amused. I quickly took a couple of steps away from him, suddenly realizing that I was very close to him, to his tail. The door slid open with a soft hiss, and I hesitantly entered, sending him a somewhat confused look when he insisted that I entered first. He outranked me, there was no reason for him to show me more courtesy than I deserved, and yet he did.

His quarters where huge, the biggest I had ever been too. You could probably have completed an entire game of driftball in there, with spectators. Unbelievably soft blue grass covered the floor, and the walls where tinted a beautiful deep golden, much like the fantastic sky of the homeworld. I felt oddly at home, and despite the one-way windows who gave me a view of the deserted planes outside, it almost reminded me of a well tended scoop. There was a computer consol by the outer wall, facing the icy world outside, and luxurious bedding rested on the grass in the middle of the room. "You like it", he stated, and I realized that he had been watching me for quite some time, my face heating up. "It is very nice sir", I answered politely, my voice neutral. He tilted his head to side, eying me with a combination of interest and amusement. "Breeyar, by now you should have understood that this conversation is informal", he said, eyes contorting in a surprisingly charming smile. I blushed, and although my stripes hid it, I knew that he knew.

His eyes glittered slightly at this, and I huffed impatiently, deciding that a change of subject was in order. "Is there something in particular you wished to discuss?" I asked him, shifting uneasily. A glint of lust was visible in his eyes when he looked at me, but apart from this I detected nothing apart from honesty. "I want you", he simply said, his eyes once again wandering over my frame, before he met my gaze, our eyes clashing. A wave of complex emotions surged through as our gazes locked, and I inhaled deeply, unsure of what exactly I was feeling. "Unlike what you think I will not force you", he continued, the amusement gone from his eyes. "I wish to offer you an alliance", he said, eyes boring in to mine. "An alliance with…..benefits, for the both of us". I lifted my head slightly, guardedly watching him. He wanted sex, of course he did. The prospect sounded slightly appealing, but then again apart from the pleasure, what advantages would I get? I did trust Foorlan, and I found him attractive, but this alone was not enough.

"What is in it for me?" I boldly asked him, noticing the gleam in his eyes when he looked at me. "Your time in the military, in the SF, will, much due to your looks, be tough. You are probably aware of the effect you have on other andalites, aware of the risks", he stated, not explaining any further. As if that was necessary I reflected somewhat bitterly. The thought had worried several times actually. It was not unusual for outranking officers to exploit warriors and arisths, taking the ones they wanted for their own pleasure. It was easy enough for them, threatening with disgrace or bad recommendations, and viola, they would have company during the night. With my Anaza looks I had already become the centre of attention, and I had a distinct feeling that life could potentially get very hard for me when, if, I completed the one year in the wild.

"I could offer you protection. Become my ward, and your future will look better than it would otherwise. You can become great Breeyar, but you need guidance and protection". He looked intently at me, his intense eyes once again boring into mine. "Is that not just what you are doing, exploiting me?" I asked him, my eyes narrowing dangerously, he was not the only one who could play this game, I was by no means stupid after all. He merely smiled at my comment, waving his stalks in obvious amusement. "Look at it this way, who would you rather have? Me, or perhaps Lirem Arreptios Eran?" His smile was now even more apparent, and I stared at him, more or less outraged. Lirem Arreptios Eran was head of the war council, a very powerful andalite, and also one who was known to take exactly what he wanted from outranked warriors and princes. He was a brutal andalite, more so than most princes actually, and definitely not someone I would like to share quarters with. Who would, come to think of it? "You can't know that I will end up with him", I said, knowing that I was right at least in this matter. He merely shrugged. "If you end up becoming half as great as I think you can, there is no doubt in my mind that you will meet him on several occasions", came the surprisingly calm reply.

And that was when I realized that he was actually completely honest. He was not only saying things to flatter me, he meant it, he really did believe in me, and the soft glint in his eyes whenever he looked at me was real. How did I know this? To be honest I had no idea, but just as Meradean had taught me I decided to go with my instincts, to trust them. "Very well", I said, slowly swinging my tail forward in a gesture of acceptance. "How often will we…meet?" I asked, hesitantly watching his bright smile. He shrugged, a pleased look settling on his countenance. "You will stay here till tomorrow, when I have decided what will happen to the female. Then I will see you again in seven months, when your time here is over", he replied, seemingly unconcerned about Illewia's fate. I briefly wondered where she was, if she was okay. Despite the fact that she was a female I did consider her somewhat of a friend, and I hoped she was okay, that she would be allowed to stay. Although I doubted she would get her dream I did hope, with all of me, that she would.

My thoughts where drawn elsewhere when Foorlan approached me, his face only centimeters away from mine. "I take it this is not your first time?" He said playfully, the gleam in his stunning green eyes stronger than ever. "No, it is not", I said, a pained look flashing briefly in my eyes, the memory of Onelia once again resurfacing. That was another thing which frustrated me. How could I wish to mate with Illewia, be attracted to her, after what had happened? How could I seriously consider such a thing after killing another female because of my own urges? I was an idiot I decided, cursing myself when I realized that Foorlan had, unsurprisingly, detected my internal conflict. "What happened?" He asked, his voice surprisingly soft. I shrugged, not knowing what to say. "It is complicated", I said, watching him with unease. He gently brushed his palms against my face, and I felt the familiar desire awaken. With a tired sight I relaxed into the touch, closing all four eyes. "You are not afraid, so clearly it can not have been a bad experience", he decided, clearly curious as to what had been bothering me. "The mating was not a bad experience, the consequences where", I said, purring softly when his hands started rubbing my torso back.

Being the smartass he was Foorlan immediately took my meaning. "What happened to the child?" He asked, his voice filled with a sudden understanding. "The female..she…she killed herself before it was born", I said in a low voice, struggling to keep my voice smooth and even. "I see", was all he said, and in a way I knew that he did understand. "You should not feel guilty, she tricked you did she not?" I waved my stalks in confirmation, somewhat stunned by his insight. And with that he let the issue slide, concentrating on me instead. It felt somewhat good to have talked about it, and I allowed myself to get completely lost in the feeling of his body pressing against mine. He had his arms wrapped firmly around my torso, while our tails stroked one another teasingly. The feeling felt almost foreign, and I realized that it was a very long time since I had shared something like this with someone. My last time had been with Meradean, and this was almost two years ago. Perhaps Onelia's death had left me more traumatized than I myself had been willing to admit.

His smell was strong, arousing, and I buried my face in his chest, shivering lightly as his tail traced a complicated pattern along my back. "You are so beautiful Breeyar", he whispered, his voice loaded with emotion, it was husky and deep, appealing. I allowed him to take control, suddenly realizing that I was quite tired. It felt good, safe, to not have to make any decisions for once. At the cave I was the leader, the one everyone trusted to make decisions, to take responsibility. With Foorlan I could just pretend that my obligations did not exist anymore, allow him to take the lead. It felt good, satisfying, and to some degree arousing, that he was the one in control. And if there was one thing I could say about Foorlan, it was that he did not by any means rush things. He spent half the night fondling me, rubbing my entire body till I was beyond aroused. In the end I literally had to beg him to finish it, and finally when the night was at its darkest he mounted me, bringing me more or less to another world.

The feeling of his tough, muscular body pressing against my own was indescribable, and made my entire being shudder with delight. Given the choice there was no doubt in my mind that I would have taken Illewia, but either way I found myself immensely pleased with Foorlan. Our bodies fit together perfectly, and his obviously experienced hands massaging my shoulders as he moved, made me hot beyond imagination. Suddenly all worries where gone, and I did not have to concentrate on anything beside him, and the wonderful pleasure he gave me……


	6. Planet caravan

**Authors note: Chapter 6 is now finnished, and as you can perhaps predict, much due to the ending, chapter 7 will be a little different. Enjoy!;))**

**PLEASE REVIEW!:DDD**

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**Metamorphstorm: I am delighted that you liked the chapter, and also that you thougt the mating scene was realistic. To be honest I am not very good at writing such things so I will take that as a huge compliment coming from you! Anyway, thank you so much for the review, and I hope you will like this chapter as well!:DDD**

**TheCrimsonTag: Okay, I will admit, you had me worried there for a second;)) Then again I had to laugh whhen I read your first sentence, yes proffesial bounderies have been breached. Anyway, thank you so much for yet another awsome review! Long reviews are always good! As for the timeline I am not quite sure myself, but i will see if I can figure it out as the story unravels. Thanks again!:DDD**

**Son of the wind**

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**Chapter 6: ****Planet caravan **

I awoke slowly the next morning, very slowly. At first I merely quirked one eye open, taking in the uncomfortably strong glare of the rising sun. The snow reflected the light and I had still not gotten completely used to the unusually bright mornings. Then again I was very comfortable, and thus I saw no reason to get up before I had too. I was lying with my chin resting on his back, his tail draped protectively around my lower body. His fur was warm and soft, and I was pretty certain that this was the best night's sleep I had experienced since arriving all those months ago. "Slept well?" He inquired, and I felt a tinge of disappointment surge through me. He knew that I was awake, which meant that I would have to leave pretty soon. Surely he had duties to tend to, and I should probably return to the others soon. "Yes, very good", I replied dryly, somewhat surprised when he chuckled briefly at my tone. "Not to worry Breeyar, when you return you can sleep here every night", he said, his forest green eyes gleaming.

With a tired sight I scurried to my hooves, my mood sinking considerably at the thought of venturing outside again. Yet I knew all too well that I did not have much choice. Foorlan smiled at me, rubbing my back in encouragement, or perhaps he just wanted to feel my fur, I don't know, either way it felt good. "Have you decided what to do with Illewia?" I asked him, receiving a puzzled look from his stalks. "The female", I clarified, realizing that he was probably unaware of her name. "Yes", he answered, refusing to explain his true intentions. For a brief moment I considered asking, before pushing the thought away. Despite the…..development of our relationship he was a superior officer, and I could not expect him to tell me things unless he wanted too. This revelation annoyed me somewhat, while I had never liked to remain in the shadows. I was curious, and thus I preferred to know things, instead of getting unpleasant surprises later on. Although he did not give an answer he did brush me, and I decided after the first brush stroke that he was forgiven. The feeling made me shiver with delight. Due to obvious reasons I had not been able to properly tend to my fur in a long time, and it was even better when he was the one to do it.

We left his quarters after about half an hour, and I felt somewhat self-conscious as I strolled along a couple of meters behind him, wondering if his warriors knew where I had spent the night. Judging by their envious expressions they did, and I resisted the urge to run somewhere and hide. Clearly Foorlan did not share my feelings because he acted exactly like he would normally do, barking orders here and there, bossing people around. I followed him inside the same conference room as I had met him the previous evening, and felt a wave of nervousness run through me. Illewia stood inside, flanked by two other officers, and I could feel how anxiousness literally radiated from her. It even affected her smell, and I caught the disgusted expression on Foorlan's features, something which could not possibly be good. I found my place opposite Foorlan and the other officers, not next to Illewia, but close enough to express my support. I hoped she would be allowed to stay, I really did. A brief gust of angst made me cold inside as I realized that I wanted her to stay mainly because of my own selfish reasons. Because I found her attractive, and because she intrigued me. Not very noble I reflected somewhat bitterly, pushing the memory of Onelia away yet again.

I stood at attention, my face expressionless, but I knew that Foorlan was very aware of my attraction to her, and I caught a dangerous glint in his green eyes, one which worried me somewhat. Then again I knew that had it not been for our involvement he would have thrown her out immediately. The question was how far he would go to please me, a question I did not by any means hold the answer to. I was playing a game with him, a dangerous game, one whose outcome I was not certain about. The scrutinizing look the two other officers where giving me did not exactly help my uneasiness either, and judging by the way their stalks gestured at each other I had a distinct feeling that I was their current topic of conversation. One of them even winked at me, and it took all my self control to keep my composure. Despite her situation I could not help but noticed the amused glance Illewia sent me, and wondered, not for the first time, how Foorlan managed to remain so unfazed with the situation. Then again he probably thought my embarrassment was funny, that bastard! I did not even dare stealing a glance at him, and struggled to remain expressionless.

"You are probably wondering what decision I have come too", Foorlan finally said, breaking the silence after what felt like eternity. I could see Illewia tense momentarily at his words, smell her anxiousness. Foorlan paused, watching her with badly hidden amusement. He was dragging it out, on purpose of course, and it struck me that getting on his bad side would most likely be rather unpleasant. "You will get your chance", he then said, locking eyes with me, letting me know that he was doing this because he knew I wanted him too. "If you can complete this year in the wild you will get your chance. You should however be aware of the fact that I will not go easier on you because you are female. You will get the same treatment as everyone else, and you will have to live the consequences of who you are", he spoke, finality to his words. "Thank you sir", she immediately replied, gratitude radiating from her. A bright smile was now in her eyes, and despite the annoyed look Foorlan sent her she was not able to suppress it. I remained expressionless, although I in reality was very happy for her.

We departed shortly after, once again forced to return to vast and snowy planes, where life was harsh and unforgiving. It felt somewhat strange to leave with her. I had after all expected to leave her behind, but to my surprise she was here, much because of my involvement with Foorlan. Of course, I had never said anything out load, but he understood me, he could read me, and thus he had decided that he wanted to give me something. A gift I reflected, that was what he had intended Illewia to be, although I had no idea what the purpose of this gift was. We trotted side by side through the snow, the only sound that of our hooves crushing the vulnerable snowflakes that had just fallen. "I sill can't believe it", Illewia said, her voice rich with texture and emotion. "He actually gave me a chance". I waved my stalks at her, smiling slightly, somewhat intrigued by her happiness. My reason to join the SF, I had no reason; I had just joined because I did not have any purpose in life. And, of course, because of Foorlan's persuasion skills. It felt wrong, at least to me, that andalites like Illewia, individuals that where committed enough to go to such lengths in order to be accepted, that they where not allowed. Now that we had the morphing technology females where no longer forced to fight in their own bodies, surely the whole gender issue could no longer be so important?

Yet it seemed like our laws where getting stricter every year, and despite demonstrations and campaigns things had not improved. Not one bit. The old traditions where still practiced, and our society had not by any means become any less male oriented. My feelings on this subject where somewhat unclear. On one hand I felt that it was unfair the way males where allowed to do a number of things that females where not, solely based on physique. Neither did I like the way males where favored in all situations, the way the female would always take the blame. Then again I was the perfect example of a male that had not by any means taken into consideration the welfare of a female, what had happened with Onelia was more than enough proof of this. My general behavior towards females had never been very considerate either. I used them, took what I wanted and left them crushed and heartbroken. It was also the matter of my own opinion. Although I did sympathize with their cause, I still found myself somewhat reluctant. When I married I wanted to be the dominant one, to make all decisions, and I knew deep down that I did not really like the idea of being run over by a female. Prejudice caused by childhood experiences perhaps, with my upbringing? Either way I knew that there was a vast difference with my somewhat unclear feelings and what I had actually done.

My broodings where interrupted moments later, as the wind changed and blew an unfamiliar scent right at me. I stopped abruptly, the fur on my back bristling. There were three other males nearby, whose scent I did not recognize. Of course they could be friendly, but by now I had learned to be suspicious. Out here you could not trust anyone, especially considering Illewia's presence. There was no doubt in my mind that most of the other recruits would have handled her being here in an entirely different way than I had. We exchanged a set of worried glances, and I changed course, trotting faster. I was Anaza, and it was only natural for me to know how to hide my scent from the wind, along with my other useful and unusual skills. Illewia on the other hand, knew nothing of such things, and I was pretty sure that they where following her scent. It was after all very strong, and appealing, and I suspected that their intentions might be more than what she wanted. "I can handle them", she told me in a confident voice, ignoring my dubious expression. I shrugged, deciding that we would just have wait and see. Her scent was too strong to hide, and if we changed course they would just follow. Better to meet them while we where well rested.

They found us in a mere 15 minutes, and I watched, somewhat alarmed, as three males a couple of years older than me approached us. We where currently about 7 kilometers from our cave and the others, needless to say the odds where not in our favor. Then again I was certain that I could take all of them on easily should a fight ensue, but this did not mean that I wanted too. There was not much grass in this place, and wasting unnecessary energy was stupid. "Hello", the biggest one greeted us, stopping a couple of meters away from me. It was inappropriately close. According to andalite custom one should greet strangers at a distance of ten meters or so, not two, and I could easily tell that he did this to intimidate me, us. "Hello", I replied, my voice even and unfazed. We scrutinized each other closely, and I could see a glint of doubt in his eyes when he recognized me. "I am WermanVerin Klatian", he said, taking a couple of strides back. I lowered my tail slightly in response, a gesture of friendship; just like him backing away had been a gesture off submission.

The other two introduced themselves as Seerian and Darinth, and after deciding that all three of them seemed rather pleasant I invited them to come with us to the cave. Illewia was, predictably, quite shy, and kept for herself or close to me most of the way. I on the other hand, was pleased. More people meant a more varied community, and thus a better way to divide the workload. And, at that exact moment an image flashed through my mind, through the part of me who was Anaza. And I knew than that the three andalites I had encountered here, along with my friends back at the cave, meant something. They where important, and somehow I understood then that they where my future, a future I suddenly understood. The image dissapeared as fast as it had surfaced, leaving me confused, suddenly not understanding anything...


	7. Looking for today

**Authors note: Okay, here we go, 7th chappie is up:)) As you will find out when you start reading the story has moved forward in time, so this chapter is somewhat different. Enjoy!:DD**

**PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW and I will forever be grateful:DDDD**

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**Metamorphstorm: Great that you liked the chapter! As for your confusion regarding the ending it was supposed to be confusing, connected to the mystic of Breeyar's heritage and all that. Then again I will admit that I wrote it somewhat clmusily. I wanted to give an impression of how his Anaza heritage gave him more insight, but at the same time more insight led to more confusion. Anyway, it was sort of badly written, so i do get your point;)) Thank you so much for the awsome review!:DDDDD**

**TheCrimsonTag: Thank you so much for yet another exquisite review! Not a problem that it is not as long as you usually write, I am getting spoiled;))) Anyway, great that you liked the chapter, and I hope you will like this one as well. I will admit that I got slightly inspired by your detailed description of weapons in "singularity", so i sort of tried something similar, althoug not as detaild. Anyway, thanks a lot for the review!:DDDDD**

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Son of the wind

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**Chapter 7: Looking for today**

My hearts were thundering in my chest, sweat was oozing from my flanks, and my breath coming in rough gasps. The heat was overwhelming, a great contradiction to the iciness of the moon I had been living on for the past year. In a way I preferred the cold, at least then the environment was fresh with crispy air. Here everything felt heavy, loaded with unfamiliar smells that made breathing heavy and uncomfortable. For every breath it felt as if I was inhaling poison, the aromas of the nearby plants unimaginably strong. I clutched my sniper shredder tightly in my hands, it was already slippery with sweat and plant juice. Yet it was the only weapon, apart from my tail, that would be of any use. It was the newest version, an MX5, designed for assassinations and long range use. The classic military shredder was strapped to my chest, one which worked better for close range encounters. To be honest I preffered the sniper version. It was somewhat more difficult to handle, but if you put in the effort, boy did you get rewarded.

I, along with the rest of my little community had left the cave two months ago, all of us, including Illewia, having survived the time on the ice moon. From there we had been shipped directly to this place, a distant outpost on the border of our territory. We where due to spend a little over two months here, before being sent to the SF headquarters. The first two months had been spent training, mostly shredder handling and weapons research, and now we where being put to the test, having to complete a one week jungle exercise. Before leaving the ice moon Foorlan had given me the position of leader, and after a quick debriefing it had been made clear that the ten of us would be one team, one unit. It was my job to lead us to success, a matter in which I knew I had to tread very carefully. We where relatively inexperienced, and I had already learnt that there was no room for failure. This particular exercise was only one for novices, and I, we, could not afford to mess it up. Doing so would mean two months extra spent in this rather unpleasant place, before we would have to complete the exercise a second time.

A sound somewhere to my left, made the fur on my back bristle in warning, and I immediately spun right, a dracon beam piercing the air where I had been a millisecond earlier. I spotted the attacker a mere second later, about twenty meters ahead of me. The sniper shredder responded to my trained hands almost instantly, and the hork-bajir fell from a tree, a smoking hole visible in his chest. Of course it was merely an android, but it looked realistic enough, and I knew better than to underestimate them. They where surprisingly strong and agile, and the computer controlling their aim was uncomfortably accurate. Kalasia had almost been hit two times, and we where only hours into the exercise. Naturally their dracon beams where only set on stun, but one hit meant that you where dead according to the rules of the exercise. Then again successfully completing the exercise meant getting all ten of us, without being hit, to the other side of the jungle, which meant that there was not much room for failure. I tensed as a richly colored bird landed in a tree not far away, flapping it wings with a soft whoosh. The tenseness of my body was natural, but I found myself surprised over how quickly I had started seeing everything as a threat. Yet I knew that this was probably a good sign, giving me a better chance at survival.

I snuck soundlessly through the bushes, my stalks constantly scanning the area for androids. After a brief discussion before heading out in the jungle I had decided that we should split up, only keeping close enough to communicate with each other. This way we would divide their attention, making it difficult for them to decide who to focus their aim and attention on. "Breeyar, I am trapped", Illewia's voice echoed in my mind, calm and accurate, yet somewhat nervous. "I am on it", I replied, quickly making my way in the direction of her thought speak. With the typical Anaza quality to my movements I glided effortlessly closer to her position, taking in her situation with increasing unease. She was trapped between two bushes, one android on either side. They had not seen her yet, but she could not move without risking detection. "I am gonna take the one to your left", I informed her, positioning my shredder, watching her closely as she prepared to take down the other one. "In three, two, NOW", I ordered, the both of us firing at the same time. My android exploded first, bits of burning metal falling to the ground in a crescendo of sparks. Illewia's hit was not as good as mine, and the android had the time to aim for one last shoot. Luckily he only hit a tree, and we escaped relatively unhurt.

We roamed the jungle for days on end, no water and only small amounts of grass. The heat seemed to suck out what was left of power and confidence in all of us, but we remained, refusing to give in. When we where only a couple of kilometers away from the finish line, there where still ten of us, and I had every intention of keeping it that way. The last stretch was also the most difficult one, and our weapons instructor had informed us that 90% failed here the first time they where put to the test. Naturally this had caused some worry on my part, and for obvious reasons I had neglected to mention this for the others. Better allowing them to have at least some confidence. The last months had taken its toll on all of us. In addition to harsh and difficult training, we where beaten and screamed at whenever something went wrong. Illewia and Perry in particular had been the source of beatings and harsh words. This was mainly because they, judging by their physique, seemed like the weakest links, and there was no doubt in my mind that our instructors did everything they could think of to challenge the balance in the team that my leadership had created.

Of course this was an important part of our training. They where merely testing us, trying to decide how much pressure we could take as a unit. It was after all vital that the relations between the ten of us where strong, should we survive once we where sent out against the yeerks. Yet we could not allow ourselves getting distracted by such things, and thus I had told them on several occasions that should someone be displeased with something they would come directly to me. At least then I had a decent chance at fixing whatever the problem might be, before it was blown out of proportions. I moved slightly faster at this thought, using hand signals to urge the others on. We where very close to our destination now, and I had called everyone closer together, to ensure that no one would be left behind. A risky move, yes, but I still felt that this was the smartest thing to do. Then we could communicate more efficiently too, using hand signals. This was a somewhat primitive language used by ancient andalites; before we evolved, and got the ability to use thought speak. It was good means of communications though. This way the thought speak noise was reduced, and it was easier to focus on what we where supposed to do, rather than talk.

And then, finally, we reached the finish line. I, along with Yiakle, covered the others, taking down the remaining androids as they ran into safety. Then we bounded after them, trusting Illewia and Seerian to watch our backs. They did, and I stumbled past the others, grinning. I quickly composed myself though, standing rapt attention when I noticed Foorlan and the other officers. To say that we looked like shit would be a grand understatement, and I felt slightly self conscious, having his full and undivided attention. I had not seen him since we had left for this jungle planet, and he looked calm and composed as always. After inhaling sharply a couple of times I regained my breath, very aware of my somewhat unflattering appearance. I was covered in mud and plant juice, stinking from sweat and dirt, and my coat was covered in various cuts and bruises. On one occasion I had even fallen into a ditch, and thus broken some of my ribs. Needless to say it had been, and still was, very painful. Not that the others looked any better, but I was after all the leader, and I felt as if I should at least have looked a little more presentable. As always morphing was forbidden during an exercise, so there was not much I could do either.

"Congratulations", Foorlan said, forcing me to forget my worries for a brief moment. "You have completed the exercise; you even sat a new record". The last sentence was directed at me, and I struggled not to show my appreciation of the compliment. "You will return to the SF headquarters aboard the doom ship the Tail Swipe immediately. I expect you to behave professionally, and to obey me. Any questions?" He inquired, his voice somewhat firm. Predictably there where no questions, and we entered the transporter after him, anxiously awaiting our first visit to a real doom ship. I had of course expected that we would be shipped off immediately, but not aboard a doom ship. Yiakle flashed me an exited smirk, nudging my shoulder. "Nice eh?" He said, receiving a badly hidden grin in return. Yes, it was definitely a new experience for us, travelling on a doom ship. Then there was also the fact that we where independent. Foorlan was the head of the SF, and thus the only one we had to obey. The SF was not under the authority of the military, but was an independent wing, and in reality they had about the same amount of power as the war council. All in all this meant that as long as we obeyed Foorlan we could do pretty much what we wanted to. It was pretty sweet, I'd give him that.

I could easily tell that Illewia was somewhat nervous, which I understood. She had spent over a year with the nine of us, and gradually, despite her gender, she had become a trusted and appreciated member of the team. Someone anyone of us would not hesitate the least to put our lives on the line for, all the while knowing that she would undoubtedly return the favor. Coming to a doom ship, a place dominated by males and males only, males who did not know her or her skills, was bound to be difficult. We disembarked in the ship hangar, still looking like the victims of a hurricane. Foorlan was immediately greeted by the captain, a though looking male, perhaps a little on the old side, yet it was clear, judging by his physique that he was not one to be messed with. I felt the yes of the captain and his TO wander over my frame with interest, but I remained unfazed, as was appropriate. Overall I wanted nothing more than to conduct myself and my team professionally, especially here, where SF personnel was a rare sight. Foorlan leveled one stalk eye at me, speaking quickly in private thought speak. "Quarters are prepared for you and your team, you will be escorted there. I expect you in my quarters at the beginning of the night shift".

With that he dismissed us, headed for the bridge along with the captain and his TO. I watched him go with a somewhat bittersweet feeling lingering in my hearts. Once again I could not help but wonder exactly what he wanted from me. He did offer protection yes, and most definitely support. But I had failed to unravel exactly why he did this. I knew that he cared for me, that he wanted me, but I had a distinct feeling that his involvement with me had a deeper, more important reason than this. Then again who was I to judge. I was the one who had agreed to his terms in the first place, and whatever happened I would have to face the consequences, good or bad…..


	8. Hole in the sky

**Authors note: Here we go again, sorry for the wait, but I think it will be worth it;)) Enjoy!**

**PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**

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**Metamorphstorm: Thanks a lot for the review! I hope you will like this chapter as well!:DDD**

**TheCrimsonTag: Thank you so much for a great review! Well, what can I say, for some reason you managed to pick up on exactly what would happen in this chapter;)) Anyway, thanks again for the great review, and I think I have remembered writing dome at least some places. :DDD I hope you like the chapter, and I hope you will update "Singularity" again soon!;)) **

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**Son of the wind**

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****Chapter 8: Hole in the sky**

Living on a dome ship was a completely new and foreign experience for me, for all of us. Things worked differently here, compared to the SF, and the first few days were somewhat confusing. Although the discipline onboard was dutifully maintained it was nothing like what we were used too. Unlike the harsh reality of the SF an individual was not beaten or brutally punished should he do something wrong or act out of line. Al one would receive was a reprimand, perhaps a couple of days on disposal duty or an unschweet. The latter one was a ritual I recognized. A superior officer would cut of a small patch of fur on the offender, and as it grew back he would gradually earn forgiveness. Naturally such a punishment would be the cause of public humiliation, but it was by no means harsh, at least not in my opinion. Of course all SF personnel was treated harshly in their first years so that they would be prepared for what was to come, but it still amazed me how differently we were from the regular military.

With a yawn I got up from my position on the grass, stretching my body tiredly. I had not quite realized how tired I actually was before arriving in Foorlan's quarters the previous evening. He had taken one look at me, before ordering me to sleep. Not that I minded, his quarters where more luxurious than mine, and thus sleeping there was better. And, although it sometimes embarrassed me I did actually sleep better when in his quarters. I exited moments later, briefly wondering where Foorlan was. He had not been there when I awoke. Perhaps he was attending a meeting or something. Somewhat annoyed with my own antics I made sure to sneak unnoticed into my assigned quarters, hoping that no one had seen me. Of course, for all I knew Foorlan could have informed every officer on the ship about where I spent the night, but such a thing would have been most unlike him. I found myself relieved that he seemed to be at least a little private regarding such things, for some reason, obvious reasons probably; I did not want everyone to know. Naturally my unit knew, but apart from some good natured teasing they had let the issue slide.

I made my way through the ship with calm, measured strides, heading for the doom. It was still fairly early in the morning, the night shift had just ended, and it was quite a lot of activity, especially in the corridors and drop shafts connecting to the ship hangar. I had a distinct feeling that something, or perhaps someone, important where due to arrive. Despite this I swiftly continued in the direction of the doom, determined to complete my morning run on a decent patch of grass. I had not stepped on soil from the homeworld in over a year. There was no way, no way, that I was going to miss out on this. One seldom realize how much something means before it is taken away, and right there and then everything else was completely overshadowed by my need for homey, bluish grass. Besides Foorlan had not ordered us to be somewhere, which meant that basically we could do whatever we wanted. And then, finally, I rounded that last corner, entering the glimmering crystal bobble that protected us from the vast blackness of the surrounding space.

It was a quite extraordinary experience. I was running on familiar grassland, with almost the same colors and the same taste as home. All around me where great Hoola trees, Nelit flowers, lakes where glimmering crystals grew in the middle. It was all so familiar, and yet, when I looked up at the stars, at the darkness outside this bobble of familiarity, I was reminded that this was only a recreation. A good one yes, but not quite like home. After completing another round of the doom I was joined by a heavy lidded Yiakle. Clearly he, much like I myself, needed a couple of hours more sleep. To be honest I had no idea why I , and let alone he, had gotten here so early in the first place. We had the day off. Yaolin! we could have spent it sleeping if we wanted too! And yet here we where, galloping sleepily side by side in this alien, yet familiar landscape. "Why in yaolin did we get up so early?" I asked him, irritated, not for the first time, at my own ignorance. He waved his stalks in uncertainty, giving me a friendly slap with the flat of his blade. "I don't know. I just woke up this morning, knowing that something would happen. Figured there was no need to lie awake waiting, so I went here", he replied, seemingly unconcerned with this somewhat strange conclusion.

We ran on for a couple of more minutes before he seemed to realize the absurdity of his own words, cursing silently. "Hey, that almost sounded like something a stranger would expect you to say", he said. Then he smiled at me, eyes glinting playfully. I snorted, unimpressed. "How so?" I then inquired, quirking an eyebrow questioningly at him. He grinned again, broader this time. "Well, you know, you act sort of mysteriously all the time, like you are hiding all these dark secrets, and then when you say something", he paused, pretending to be serious. "Well, you know, then you reveal that you are just a rebellious jerk, kind of disappointing really", he winked at me, before speeding off. "Yiakle you moron", I shouted after him, taking up the chase, grass and dirt flying from my hooves. Of course I was faster, but he was quite the runner and for once I had to actually work in order to catch him. We skidded around and in between trees and bushes, the hunt turning in to a full scale play battle the moment I caught up with him.

I felt laughter bobble inside me, making my fur bristle in delight and amusement. "Hah! Take that!" I shouted triumphantly, tricking Yiakle into a thorn bush. He jumped around like crazy, struggling to avoid the thorns. "Hey! That was not funny, not funny Breeyar!" With that he lost his footing on the slippery ground, thundering headfirst into the grass. I watched, somewhat concerned, as he rolled onto his side, staring accusingly at me. Then the both of us burst out laughing, as I dragged him up with mock respect. "Serves you right", I said, eying the grass in his fur with a smirk. To my surprise he did not answer. He was completely silent, all four eyes trained on something behind me. I swirled one stalk around to see, the blood literally freezing in my veins. Against the pinkish silhouette of a nearby moon an unmistakable black shape was visible. A blade ship, a visser's ship. And with that all alarms went off, thought speak voices shouting orders and warnings all over the ship. We were under attack.

"Go!" I shouted, the both of us leaping forward, headed for the entrance of the doom. It was likely that the ship would drop the doom to increase maneuverability, and I would rather not be present when this happened. We left the doom in a hurry, running flat out in the direction of our quarters. Hopefully the others would still be there when we arrived. The ship shook violently, almost throwing us of our hooves. A cable in the ceiling sparked dangerously, and I swooped past it, barely avoiding being fried. Yiakle fell behind me with a load bang, his tail making a nasty gash along the light blue walls. Moments later he was up again, galloping after me like there was no tomorrow. We skidded around the last corner, sparks flying from our hooves. Another shudder ran through the ship, making the lights flick on and off in an almost supernatural manner. I barged into the first room, shared by Samarian, Kalasia, Seerian and Perry, a cold feeling settling in my hearts. It was empty, and ten seconds later we had determined that they all were.

And that was when things turned more complicated than I had ever imagined. "Attention all personnel", a thought speak voice ringed in my mind, stern and demanding. It was the voice of the captain. "We are being bored in sector 3 and 7. I repeat we are being bored. All available personnel dispatch to sector 3 and 7 immediately. Reinforcements are on the way, the Galaxy 3 will be here in approximately 30 minutes". With that he fell silent, neglecting to mention the consequences of being bored. We would fight, do our best, and should someone end up captured, well , then that individual would face two choices. Death or infestation, death being the honorable one. I inhaled deeply, knowing all too well that I and Yiakle where very close to sector 7, we had to do our duty, and suddenly a future in the SF did not seem so appealing anymore. Yet we did what we had been taught to do, what was expected. With a surprisingly calm demeanor I strapped the MX5 to my chest, choosing to carry the regular version. It was after all superior to the sniper version, as long as we were in close range of the enemy.

Yiakle had, like me, chosen to carry the standard military shredder, but instead of the MX5 he had a heavier version. One which would destroy anything within a ten meter radius of the shoot. Needless to say it could be very effective if the enemy was concentrated on one spot, without any allies in the immediate area. Then again it was more or less useless in close range, or inside a ship like this one. Either way it was Yiakle's choice, and not something I would question. A warrior chooses his own weapon, that is the unwritten rule. With that we went off, sneaking silently along the corridors, headed for sector 7. Sector 7 was the part of the ship where most of the sleeping quarters where located, and with a note of disgust I decided that the yeerks probably knew. They wanted hosts, and thus this part of the ship would be an excellent place. Then again they had probably also concluded that this would be the less crowded area of the ship during battle, which was indeed right.

A sudden silence seemed to have settled in the entire ship. The yeerks had stopped firing, and apart from the constant flickering of lights there was nothing to be heard. Yiakle held up a small field computer, an FC, telling me, with hand signals, that there was a group of non andalite life forms in the corridor alongside ours. I waved my stalks in response, continuing my advance, Yiakle right behind me. According to the electronic map on the FC the two corridors would meet around the next turn. I hesitated, unsure on what to do. Although our technology was superior compared to that of the yeerks, I was pretty sure they had devices able to detect other life forms. Naturally I could not be sure wheatear or not they had brought one, but one should always assume the worst during battle. And, according to that philosophy, they knew our position, just as well as we knew theirs.

I inhaled deeply; using a meditation exercise I had been taught by Meradean to replace angst by confidence. Then we found our places next to one another, halting right before the corridor started to curve. Yiakle had one stalk trained on FC, and one on the empty corridor behind us, while I had three of four eyes glued to the place where the yeerks would emerge. "Ten seconds", Yiakle informed me, pressing himself up against the wall behind me. While he had to monitor the FC I would be in front, so that he would have the necessary time to prepare his shredder. He seemed surprisingly calm, considering our situation. And then, after what felt like forever, the first yeerk appeared. It was a taxoon, and a millisecond later my shredder had reduced it to mere particles. I had about two seconds to wonder where the rest had gone, before they came at us, from both directions. How they had managed to avoid the FC was beyond me, but at the time I did not have the option of brooding.

For the first time in my 18 years of life I stood face to face with my enemy. I could see Yiakle behind me, covering my back, just as I covered his. And with that my tail blade connected with the throat of my first opponent, grey-green blood spraying everywhere.


	9. Blackened

**Authors note: OKay, for those of you who read "Fortunes of war" a familiar twist has returned. Enjoy!**

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review, and I will forever be grateful:DDD**

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**Metamorphstorm: Thank you so much for a great review! I am grateful that you pointed out those mistakes, because I think the quality of a story is reduced when the grammar is really bad. Anyway, I have gotten a new computer so there might be more mistakes than usual. I have not quite understood the spelling program yet;)) Anyway, thank you so much for the review, and I hope you will like this chapter as well!:DDDD**

**TheCrimsonTag: Ugh, sounds very painful! I broke my leg once when I was little, so I can imagine that it must be very unpleasant! Well, hopefully you will be back tp normal soon! And well, you prediction skills are quite extraordibnary. You pretty much nailed the content of chapter 10;)) Anyway, thank you so much for an awsome review, and I hope you will like the chapter!:DDDDD**

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**Son of the wind**

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****Chapter 9: Blackened **

The air seemed heavy, filled with the powerful aroma of blood and sweat, and every time I inhaled it I felt more lightheaded. The charging hork-bajirs moved slowly, almost as if I was dreaming, and I sliced through them with no remorse. I felt alive, my blood boiling, my breath coming I n rough gasps, and my hearts thundering in my chest. It was the rush of battle, the indescribable feeling that it had taken me years to understand and control. I spun left and right, jumped and danced to a melody only I could hear. Rhythm, speed and technique, years of training made it all come naturally. I went with my instinct, trusting what Meradean had taught me, and it paid off. My tail worked almost like an invisible barrier between myself and the attackers, slowly pushing them back, step by step.

Yiakle was right beside me. After the first confusion we had managed to dispose of the yeerks coming from behind us. They had been fewer and mostly taxoons, easier to kill. The remaining attackers where somewhat more resilient, but I could see fear in their eyes, and it delighted me. It was me they were afraid off, my tail, and triumph surged through me when they gave in, fleeing in the direction they had come from. With my tail held high I took up the chase, Yiakle right behind me. I easily caught up with them, sending the first thundering into the floor, his head missing. The three remaining ones realized that they could not outrun us and made one last effort. Needless to say I killed them, easily. Then I skidded into a halt, slowly leaving the haze I had been in while fighting. A shiver ran through my body, my fur bristling. I was covered in a sticky grayish substance, hork-bajir blood I realized, inhaling the sickly sweet smell with disgust. The victims of my tail where lying sprawled on the floor, the bluish grass no longer visible under all the blood.

I had never killed before, correction, I had, but not this way. Onelia had been an accident; I had not done it on purpose had I? Had I? I shook my head, suppressing the memory. No, this was different. There was no reason for me too feel guilty or disgusted over killing yeerks, they where the enemy, they deserved what was coming at them. But, despite my reasoning the guilt did not go away, it increased, and it stayed there. I had after all not only killed the yeerks, but the hosts as well, creatures who loathed the yeerks just as much as I did, probably more. "Breeyar?" Yiakle said, putting his hand on my shoulder. The touch made me jump, and we stared at each other, his icy blue eyes reflecting the fear, disgust and confusion that were racing in my mind. "Are you okay?" He asked, his voice somewhat unsteady. "No", I replied, trying to smile, but failing miserably. "Are you?" I asked him, expecting the usual smirk and perhaps a witty retort. There was none. He merely stared at me, his ears lying flat against his head and his nostrils flared. He did not have to say anything; I already knew the answer to my question, and it scared me.

"I…I guess we should go on", I said, my fur already dense with sweat. What if we got captured? Infested? The thought made my stomach churn and my breath uneven. I met Yiakle's gaze, inhaling sharply. "Yes", he said, following my lead. Although I had been chosen as the leader of the SF unit it was not a position I was very comfortable in. Making decisions during training was one thing, here things rarely went wrong, and if they did one did not face the option of death or infestation. Now things where different. What if my judgment turned out to be wrong, what if Yiakle got killed or captured because of me? With a deep breath I continued my advance, trusting Yiakle to keep a close eye on the FC. This was another thing which worried me. The yeerks coming from behind had not been visible at the FC, Yiakle would have seen them. Perhaps the yeerks had come up with some new, advanced technology? The thought made me uneasy. "I'm sorry Breeyar", Yiakle suddenly said, his voice breaking. "I was no scared….I…I did not pay enough attention".

I spun around, doing something I probably should not have done; I hugged him, waves of relief flowing through me. "I thought the yeerks had come up with some genius new technology", I confessed, finally receiving a smile from him. "You…you won't tell anyone?" He asked unnecessarily, his face once again serious. I snorted, twitching my tail in pretended offence. "Of course not". We smiled shakily at each other, proceeding down the corridor. This time Yiakle had all eyes trained on the FC, while I kept watch. We were more careful this time, and when Yiakle spotted activity in the spare ship hangar at the outskirts of sector 7 we did not just run right at it, like we had done ten minutes ago. No, this time we snuck up on them, hiding behind a couple of storage units. They were located right in front of a hidden exit to the hangar. The one we had passed through when we arrived.

The sight that met us made my blood run cold. For a brief moment I seriously considered hiding somewhere, but I immediately dismissed the thought. I was no coward, I would do my duty. A hole had been made where the outer wall of the ship should have been, a powerful force field keeping the two ships together. Dozens of hork-bajir storm troopers where wandering through, armed with dracon guns. There where taxoons too, and one human. The latter one did, despite my fear, interest me. We had learned about humans in school, and it amazed me how such a strangely built creature managed to stay on its feet. I watched curiously as it entered our ship, flanked by what I presumed to be an elite team. Perhaps it was even a visser? As far as I knew only visser's had troops with their own uniforms, and a closer look revealed that her guards had crimson badges attacked to their arms. The human was wearing a uniform in the same color. I briefly wondered if it was a female. It was after all smaller and more petite, compared to the holograms we had seen in class.

I glanced at Yiakle, seeing the confirmation in his eyes. We had to attack, there was no other option. If we allowed these troops to go further into the ship they would most likely ambush the andalites in sector 3, we could not allow that. With trained movements I unstrapped the MX5 from my chest, fastening the regular military shredder. Yiakle kept his; there was after all no point in using his sniper. It was very powerful, and would most likely just blow a hole in the ship, not what we wanted. Yiakle got the first shoot, trying to give me a clear view of the human. He reduced the two first hork-bajir's to dust, killing them instantly. A major uproar broke out then, and too my surprise the rest of her warriors threw themselves in front of it. It was uncommon for yeerks to sacrifice themselves in such a way, this I knew. Surely this human had to be someone special. I was forced to duck behind the storage unit after my fifth shot, the yeerks having gathered themselves enough to return fire. To my surprise the dracon beams did not do any harm to the metal structure. They where set on stun, and unsurprisingly this discovery made me shiver, fear surging through my entire being.

We returned fire at an even rate, never missing. Yet they were somehow managing to get closer, more and more yeerks literarily flowing out of the other ship. It was only a question of time before we would have to engage in close combat, and I could only hope reinforcements would arrive before then. With that I put my shredder away, ducking further behind the storage unit. "I'll cover you", Yiakle signaled, flicking his wrist. With a wave of my stalks I pressed my body flat against the cool surface of the storage unit, finding my fighting stance. And then, after what felt awfully long, they came. I could hear clawed feet thundering against the metal floor; feel the slight vibration in the walls as they neared us. Yiakle got the first three, but then they got up close, his shredder no longer of any use. I threw myself at them, tail flashing. Yiakle was right beside me, covering my left side, his tail a blur. Slowly but steadily we fought our way through, pushing them away from the cover behind our storage unit.

Forced to keep them at bay we entered open ground, for the first time getting a good look at our surroundings. A huge army of hork-bajir where charging at us, the lone human standing in between the two ships, one foot in ours, one in theirs, watching the battle. A couple of what I presumed to be aids stood beside her, and to my surprise they where humans. There were hork-bajir warriors everywhere, and I realized that it had been a mistake leaving the storage unit. There the wall had covered our backs. Now we were surrounded, forced to fight all directions at once. My tail moved like lightening, and the attackers struggled to get away from me, suddenly realizing that meeting me in battle equaled death. This made things easier, gave us more time to avoid getting hurt, to plan our next move. Despite this our odds where not good. Yiakle was seriously injured, and I was forced to slow down, refusing to leave him behind. Instead I gripped tightly onto his shoulder, my tail covering the both of us. At this point there was no longer any doubt. We where beaten, and I froze, as a dozen dracon beams where directed at us.

"Kill me", Yiakle whispered, and to my despair he lost consciousness, slumping heavily against me, his tail dropping to the floor with a bang. I hold on to him, using my free hand in a vain attempt at stopping the bleeding. He had gotten a deep gash on his back, and blood was flowing like there was no tomorrow. There was no doubt in my mind that if he did not receive medical attention soon, he would bleed to death. With renewed fear I noticed the hork-bajirs around us pulling away, forming a wide circle to give us more space. Moments later they parted, allowing the three humans and a couple of the badge hork-bajirs through. I subconsciously tightened my hold on Yiakle, somewhat afraid that they would separate us. The one in a uniform stepped closer, stopping just outside the reach of my tail, intently watching me. I met its gaze, my golden orbs clashing with its brown ones. I saw a combination of fear, admiration and wonder flash in them, before the creature opened its mouth, baring small white teeth.

I had no idea what this gesture meant, but judging by the way the creature's eyes gleamed, it seemed friendly. In a way this scared more than had it acted aggressive or violent, it was so unexpected. I flicked my ears uneasily, regarding the human with my main eyes, my stalks keeping an eye on the surroundings. In my uneasiness I forgot to maintain pressure on Yiakle's wound, and blood seeped down his chest, reaching the floor. Cursing myself I struggled to stop the bleeding, again, awfully aware of her scrutinizing gaze following my every movement. "You care for your friend?" the yeerk requested, taking me completely by surprise. I stared guardedly at it, deciding that it was better not to answer. "Never talk to them, not unless you have too, they will only cloud your judgment", Foorlan's words echoing in my mind, the memory of a training session resurfacing. He was right, it was better to remain silent.

The human bared its teeth again, amusement evident in its eyes. "Although you do not wish to speak with me, let us at least maintain proper manners", she said, her eyes wandering over my frame with badly hidden admiration. Uneasiness filled me at this, but my stripes hid my blush. "I am Edriss 5643, although you might know me better as visser 1", she continued, her eyes boring into mine. Naturally I was shocked, not only was she visser 1, but she had actually joined the operation, instead of being safe on her own ship. She was watching me expectantly, curiously. With that I spoke up, deciding that at least then perhaps I could delay the inevitable. "I am Breeyar Arrangor Anaza", I replied, my voice surprisingly even.

We locked gazes again, and the creature bowed its head at me, a surprisingly honest gesture of respect, which I did not know how to respond too. "You are special", the yeerk then stated, making the fur on my back bristle, what was wrong with this yeerk? It was not acting like I had been learned to expect, not at all. And then it did the unthinkable. Slowly, carefully, as if I was some unpredictable animal, it stepped closer, reaching out to touch me…..


	10. Into the void

**Authors note: Here we go again, chapter 10. I am afraid the appereance of chapter 11 might be delayed, depending on what my exam will be. They randomly draw names, and if I get chemistry I have to read all week. Anyway, I hope you will like the chapter, although it is sort of messy:DDD**

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review! I get really inspired when you people give a feedback, so I beg you!:))**

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**Metamorphstorm: Thank you so much for yet abother lovely review! Yea, well I really do agree with you, the Visser 1 in this story is kind'a creepy, very actually. As for yiakle you will soon find out;))) Thanks a lot and i hope you will like this chapter as well!:DDDD**

**TheCrimsonTag: Thank you so much for another awsome review! How is your wrist doing? Consideering you play football I suppose it was at least better than spraining an ankle;) Anyway, well you sort of got your panick mistake, although it is probably a little different from what I intended, and I think you have a very good point. Unexperienced people make mistakes. I just hope Breeyar did not seem too proffesional! Well, thank you so much for the review! i really appriciate it, and do not hesitate to poiny out flaws!:DDD**

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**Son of the wind**

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****Chapter 10: Into the void **

She gently stroked my face, trailing her fingers along the stripes on my cheeks. Then she leaned in, her face only centimeters away from mine. The first I felt was shock, deep, blinding, frightening shock. What in yaolin was she doing? And then, as the first surprise wore of, I got angry. I could feel fury build up inside my like a hurricane, like the bouldering of thunder. It was a warm and uncomfortable feeling, almost as if my insides where burning. And that was when I lost complete control. For the first time in my life I truly embraced the part of myself I had always struggled with. The part of me that was Anaza, that ruthless and cruel part of my mind, and suddenly I was not a scared youngster anymore, I was a killer.

I attacked with a speed I did not even know I possessed. Somewhere in the back of my mind I registered that the creatures around me where not actually slow, I was just moving a lot faster than they were. I could hear screams to, of fear and pain, mostly the latter one. My tail moved like lightening, slashing up and down, left and right, reducing everyone who came close to butchered meat. Grey-green blood where everywhere, and I reveled in the scent, hungry for more. In my haze I did not even notice how my opponents fled, ran back aboard their ship to get away from me. They were firing too, bright red dracon beams bouncing of the ceiling. I wanted to laugh. They where so unimaginably slow, not even close to stand a chance against me. Gracefully and without even breaking a sweat I avoided them, twirling left and right, jumping up in to the air, rearing up on my hind legs. It was like a game I reflected, this revelation making me more aggressive. A game I wanted to win, it was only a matter of killing them. It surprised me how easy it was, how none of them really put up a fight. They just died.

More and more yeerks fled back into their own ship, pointing and screaming hysterically at me. I did not care. Instead I slammed my tail into the metal floor; a cloud of golden sparks burning the hork-bajir's the closest to me. The screaming annoyed me, and I struggled to block it out, ignore it. And then, finally, I found myself successful, consumed in my own little world of comfortable silence and movement. It felt as if I was flying, gliding almost. I was alive, washing over them like a tidal wave, a wave of death and destruction. It was the closest to understanding myself I had ever been, the closest to who and what I really was. Here, in this strange place, I felt at home, the only thing I needed being my tail. There was no complicated issues to ponder, no problems, no, here there was only me, my opponents and the rules of battle, which basically meant that there were no rules. Perfect! I attacked in a blur, closing in on the remaining hork-bajirs in frenzied excitement. My blood was boiling, craving death and pain. I wanted to hurt them I realized, somewhere deep down understanding that what I was doing was wrong. And yet I could not have cared less, I just wanted to kill them, every single one of them.

Lost in a world of blood I barely registered that reinforcements had arrived, taking care of Yiakle and firing at the hork-bajir's. Then again they where already fleeing, from me, and I did not like the outside interference very much. This was my fight, mine! They should have kept away, instead of denying me what was mine to begin with. This was slaughter, and it was my slaughter. Somewhere far away my named was called out, but I did not care, did not consider it to be important. And then that someone was beside me, shaking me, dragging me away from the battle raging on all sides. Rage surged through me and I spun around, tail quivering from suppressed emotions. My golden orbs clashed with his green ones, and that was when I returned to reality. For a brief moment I just stood there, staring at him with fear and confusion. Then he grabbed my shoulder, dragging me along in a flat out gallop. Yeerks darted in all directions at the sight of me, giving us a clear path out of the hangar. "Go", he bellowed, and I obeyed, finding another gear. We accelerated, side by side, before literally thundering through a storage unit. The next obstacle I had the decency to jump, and then we were out, tumbling through a force field at the entrance of the hangar.

I fell heavily on my side, sliding along the floor until I hit a wall. A somewhat muffed bang was heard through the force field, and through tired eyes I saw the hangar bay explode in a crescendo of crimson fire and thick, black smoke. Perhaps someone had rigged a bomb? Although I found this unlikely my mind was too confused and blurred to think clearly, and I closed all four eyes, slowly drifting into the dark. "Breeyar! Breeyar!" The voice was familiar, but I was so tired, so very tired. The explosive power that had possessed me only minutes ago was gone, leaving me empty and shattered, tired and confused. I wanted to sleep, to disappear in the comfortable darkness of my own mind. Someone was shouting, calling for a doctor, and then I was dragged to my hooves, strong arms supporting me. "Stay awake!", a thought speak voice demanded, the one that was familiar, the one who had dragged me away from the hangar bay. "Stay awake, you cannot sleep, not yet". I blinked confusedly up at him, before closing my eyes again, leaning heavily against supporting shoulders.

There was more angry shouting at this, and someone slapped me lightly on my cheeks, making me open my eyes again. It hurt, and I wobbled, seeing strange colors and blurs all around me. It was like living in another universe or something, a place where andalites where purple and yellow, and where Foorlan had six eyes instead of four. Everything I looked at seemed to change shape and color, moving relentlessly back and forth from orange to green and back again. I started laughing, as Foorlan's fur turned pink and then purple. It was a strange sight, and I laughed more, before closing my eyes again, wondering why a now yellow substance was flowing from my chest. It could not be blood, then it should have been blue. Yet it smelled like blood, and as I watched everything became surprisingly clear, colors and sensations turning back to normal. It was blood I realized, and a lot too. Someone had wrapped a compress around my chest, trying to stop it, but the bluish liquid was seeping through, making my fur soaked and sticky. And then, after what felt like forever I was allowed to sleep, curling up underneath soft blankets, drifting off to another, more comfortable world.

I slept for a long time, my body desperately craving rest and peace. It felt good, being in your own private bubble, where no one could disturb you. Not even the harsh reality could reach me here, or so I thought. I awoke slowly, quirking my main eyes open with obvious effort. They where swollen and sore, but at least now my sight was back to normal. "He is awake", someone said, and moments later an unfamiliar face bent over me. It was a doctor, had to be, and I resisted the urge curse at him when he gripped my chin, using a small light to check my eyes for injury. "You are fine", He informed me, helping me up. My body was aching, and I pulled away from the doctor, immediately morphing and remorphing. The exhaustion and some of the stiffness remained of course, but apart from this I felt relatively good. "You warriors, never accepting help when you need it. I don't know if you are strong or just stupid", the doctor mumbled, sending me a somewhat annoyed look. I merely waved my stalks at him, suddenly realizing that I had no idea what had happened, and most importantly, where was my team? What had happened to the others?

Foorlan had saved my life, this much I had been able to gather. He was alive and well at least. I could vaguely remember someone getting Yiakle to safety, but I did not know if he had survived. Apart from this I had no idea what might have happened to the others, and it scared me. With that I abruptly turned around, gazing intensely at the doctor. "Are there any other patients from the SF here?" I asked him, my tone harsher than I had intended. He snorted, seemingly unimpressed. "I am assuming you are only worried, which is why I will tolerate your rudeness. Yes, they are over there", he said, gesturing with his tail. I swooped past him, scrambling inside the other room fueled on angst and excitement. There was another doctor in there, monitoring a computer. I ignored him, looking wildly around in order to find my friends. I spotted Yiakle sleeping underneath a blanket, lying comfortably in the andalite version of a bed. Seerian was sleeping next to him, and Perry was not too far away, asleep and bandaged up. A quick conversation with the other doctor confirmed that they would be fine, and I went off again, trying to find Foorlan and the others.

On one hand I was relieved that at least the three of them where okay, but at the same time worried about the ones that were not accounted for. And of course I remembered what had happened during the battle, how I had lost control. Yet I ignored it, failing to confront my own fears. I did not wish to think about it, not know, but I knew that soon I had too. I spotted a warrior outside the sick bay, immediately approaching him. "Excuse me sir, where is war prince Foorlan?" I asked him, making sure that my tone was somewhat urgent. He glanced briefly at me, a hint of surprise visible in his eyes. "He is at the bridge, along with the captain", he answered, looking me over a couple of times. "You are at the Galaxy 3 by the way, not the tail swipe", he said, eying me with a sudden interest. The Galaxy 3 I reflected, the ship captain Nerefir had claimed would come to our rescue. Apparently it had. "What happened to the tail swipe?" I asked, nervousness flowing through me. "It was damaged beyond repair, we evacuated it and then blew it up", he supplied, waving his stalks at me. "Couldn't let the yeerks getting their hands on our technology you know", he said, receiving a gesture of appreciation from me, before I went on.

I called out for all of them, broadcasting my thought speak only to the ones I had not seen yet. Samarian, Kalasia, Werman, Darinth and Illewia, the two latter ones did not answer, and I felt fear seep into my voice when I questioned the others. "What about Illewia and Darinth?" I asked, already headed for the quarters we had been assigned. The others were there, waiting for me. "I don't know", Kalasia said, his voice thick with worry. "No one seems to know anything. They are not in the sick bay and nor are they on any list of casualties". I inhaled sharply at this, my shoulders tensing. What if? I did not even dare asking myself that question, did not wish to think about it, not one bit. Yet the idea was not unreasonable, and I knew all too well that it was a very realistic scenario. Far too realistic actually, so much that I struggled to keep my composure as I strolled through the corridors. I did not even see where I walked; I merely barged along, deep in thought. And with that I thundered into another andalite, having to grip the wall for support.

"Breeyar!" The stranger exclaimed, happiness in his tone. It took me a moment to recognize him, but when I did I flushed cobalt with embarrassment. It was Elfangor, war prince Elfangor. What a moron I was, running madly about the ship without putting any of my four eyes to good use. "War prince….I..I am so sorry", I quickly said, relaxing slightly when he only smiled at that. "Not a problem", he said, gesturing for me to walk with him. "I heard you singlehandedly defeated the yeerks in sector 7", he said, seemingly impressed. I shrugged, waving my stalks in uncertainty. The experience, what I had done….not done, I did not wish to remember any of it. Elfangor, being the one he was, picked up on this immediately, and stopped, gazing deeply at me. "Breeyar, there is something you should know", he then said, making my fur bristle. I leveled all four eyes on him, my golden orbs clashing with his pale green ones. And then I knew, I saw the confirmation in his eyes, and then I knew. They had been taken, both of them….


	11. My friend of misery

**Authors note: Well, finally I have had the time to put up chapter 11. I assure you that chapter 12 will be up much faster! This chapter is somewhat nasty I suppose, but I hope you will like it either way;)) Enjoy!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

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**Metamorphstorm: Thank you so much for the review!I am delighted that you liked the battle scene, while this did worry me a little! Hopefully you will like this chapter as well!:DDD**

**TheCrimsonTag: Thank you so much for yet another great review! Exams suck, but at least now I am finnished;) Anyway, I hope some of your questions will be answered in this chapter! How is "Singularity" coming along?:DDDD**

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**Son of the wind**

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**Chapter 11: My friend of misery**

**Darinth's POV**

There were five of us. Five andalites stupid enough to get captured alive. Me, Illewia, a newly promoted warrior and two arisths. At first I felt numb, and then, as my future dawned on me I felt despair. Why me? Why not someone else? If only I had known the answer, but there was no answer. I had never been superstitious, I was a realist, I believed in things like science and well documented evidence. I had simply been unlucky, at the wrong place at wrong time as Samarian would often say. And now, well, there was not much I could do. For some reason I had been separated from the others. Bound and sedated, blindfolded, I stood in my own private cell, fear and uncertainty mercilessly ravaging my mind. It was the waiting that was the worst part, the uncertainty. Given the chance I would have morphed, but they had placed something around my neck, a device of some sort, which prevented me from morphing. Naturally I had kept thought speak contact with the remaining four andalites, but my time with them had been limited. The warrior and the two arisths had already been infested, and I felt my hearts ache for them, for myself. For all I knew this would be my fate as well.

Illewia had, to my relief, not been infested. The warrior and the two arisths held next to know scientific knowledge or intelligence valuable for the yeerks, they were not a security risk, not the way Illewia and I where. Of course we did not know much, but being SF recruits we had inside knowledge of the most dangerous branch of the andalite military, the branch the yeerks feared the most, and with good reason. The SF sabotaged, spied on and destroyed yeerk operation throughout the universe with a success rate of 85%. The yeerks had every reason to be worried. Hopefully they would not infest me and Illewia, hopefully! I was pretty certain that they had other intentions with us, considering they had waited for such a long time. Then again one could never know, perhaps I was only waiting for a higher ranking yeerk? One of the council members? The thought made my fur bristle with angst, and my hearts thundered in my chest, making my breath uneven. I felt sick, like I had run on foul grassland, like I was poisoned. Relax I told myself, relax, you don't know for sure that they will infest you, perhaps they will just kill you. I could hear Illewia cry in my mind, and I knew all too well that they would not kill me. No, they had something special planned out.

A soft shiver ran through me moments later, my ears picking up the dull sound of hork-bajir feet hitting metal. And then, the familiar clopping of delicate hooves, an andalite. Was it perhaps the infested warrior, or the arisths? Illewia was still in her cell, so it could not be her. Then again this andalite seemed bigger and heavier than all four of them, which could only lead to one conclusion. Visser 3, the abomination. For a brief moment I tried to delude myself, thinking that he would just walk past my cell; that he was here to see someone else. But deep down I knew better, and my suspicions where confirmed when the door opened with a soft hiss. I could feel the vibration in the walls as he entered, followed by a change of air from outside. There was a brief moment of silence, and I started sweating, resisting the urge to nervously shuffle my hooves. "He is perfect, leave!" The calmness of his words made me uneasy; it frightened me because it was so unexpected. What in yaolin did he want with me? He'd said I was perfect, perfect for what? "Relax andalite, I do not intend to kill, infest or hurt you. Torture may be necessary, depending on your willingness to cooperate, but I do not wish to hurt you", he addressed me, his voice surprisingly soft.

When I did not respond he sighted, pawing the ground impatiently. I could hear him move around behind me; to my surprise he removed the blindfold, and I immediately trained three of four eyes on him. Fear was surging through me, coming in waves. My fur was now dense with sweat, and despite my efforts it stood erect, giving away my angst and nervousness all too well. I met his gaze, staring into his, war prince Alloran's, green eyes. Although my face was expressionless I knew that he had picked up on my fear, it was itched into the core of my being, too deep to go away, to apparent to hide. I felt ashamed, unprofessional, but there was nothing I could do. So I just stared at him, knowing that he saw my angst, my despair, but also knowing that I would not surrender. I would fight, I would not give in, not allow my emotions to take over. His eyes glinted in understanding, and he crossed his arms, gazing intensely at me. "Do you know why you are here, why you are not infested?" He inquired, all four eyes trained at my face, looking for a reaction. But I gave nothing away; I merely stared at him, cold and calculating, trying to find strength where there was none.

He stepped closer, stopping when his face was only inches from mine. His smell was strong, intimidating, and I instantly pressed my ears flat against my head, feeling threatened. "You were captured by my troops. By yeerk law you belong to me", he said, leaning even closer, our faces almost touching. He was older and thus taller, and he had to tilt his head downwards to look directly at me. A shiver ran through the length of my body, and I resisted the urge to whimper in fear. "I have other plans for you than infestation, better plans", he stated, still standing awfully close. "What plans?" I asked, surprised at how smooth my voice was. His face contorted into a mask of satisfaction, and he took a gentle hold of my chin, brushing his palms softly over my cheeks. At first I was too shocked to do anything but stare, but then I realized what he'd done, fury replacing fear in one brilliant flash. "GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME YOU SCUM!" I bellowed, pulling furiously at the restraints. To my despair he did not. He merely watched me, trailing his fingers over my face, stroking my ears. I shivered in a combination of rage and fear, of disgust. He did not have to explain his intentions to me anymore, his actions spoke volumes. I knew enough.

"You can make this easy, or you can make this hard. It is entirely up to you. I will have my way with you sooner or later anyway, it is only a matter of time", he said, his hands coming to rest on my shoulders. "What is in it for me?" I asked him, briefly wondering where in yaolin I had gotten this sudden courage. To my surprise he merely smiled, eyes gleaming intensely. "You are one of the smarter ones", he stated, squeezing my shoulders testily. "But make no mistake andalite, you won't be able to trick me, and I will punish you if necessary". I tensed, blushing when he rudely eyed my hindquarters. "I did not ask for your threats Visser", I sneered, my eyes narrowing. "I asked what was in it for me", I continued, knowing that what I was about to do was against everything I stood for, everything I believed in. Yet I was willing to throw it all away, because I had discovered that there was one thing that was more important to me than honor, survival. I wanted to live, and I wanted to remain uninfested, everything else came second to this. The Visser eyed me with a combination of lust, interest and curiosity, seemingly intrigued with my behavior.

"If you submit I will give you a very comfortable life", he finally said, breaking the silence after what felt like forever. "You will not be infested, not harmed in any way. I will protect you, give you everything you desire, with the exception of freedom of course, and I suppose you have figured out what I want in return", he said, smirking somewhat mockingly at me. "Of course", I said, not bothering to hide my disgust. Then again I knew that this option was by far better compared to the alternatives available, and I had to protect my knowledge at all costs. Then it was the egoistic part of me, the part that screamed survival, the part that urged me to accept his offer based on my own selfish reasons, based on fear. "I accept your…proposal", I said, sensing a combination of surprise and relief from him, over my surrender. He smiled then, a genuinely pleased smile I noted, tensing slightly. "Excellent", he said, eyes gleaming when he looked at me. With that he ordered the guards inside again, and watched with interest as they removed my restraints. They only hesitated at the holster covering my tail, but a wave from the Visser urged them on, and they retreated guardedly afterwards, eying me with curiosity.

I tensed momentarily when the Visser approached me, but did not move an inch, I merely watched him. He made some adjustments to the device that hung around my neck, before stepping away. "We call it a morphing collar", he said, having noticed my questioning eyes. "Quite useful come to think of it, you can only morph when I turn it off, and you can only morph certain morphs, vulnerable morphs". I took his point and started morphing my kafit, relieved to finally getting rid of my injuries. It had been a tough battle before they had gotten me, and I was tired, very tired. Getting rid of two broken legs and a possibly punctured long felt good. I was a coward for not fighting him, for putting physical things before my honor, but at that exact moment I did not care either way. To my surprise I was just relieved, knowing that I had successfully avoided infestation. Selfish, that was who and what I had become I reflected, all the while knowing that I did not care either way. Survival, I repeated to myself, that was all which mattered, the survival of myself and my secrets, secrets the yeerks could never have, secrets that I had to keep, for the sake of my people.

I could hear Illewia cry out for me, but I did not answer her, I couldn't. Being faced with my surrender would crush her, and I could not, under any circumstances, tell her why I would not fight. If I told her and she got infested, I'd rather not think about the consequences of such a thing. The Visser watched me intently, and I suddenly realized that he was expecting me to follow him. I hesitantly did so, struggling to ignore the shame flowing through me at obeying the him. The guards were of course accompanying us, but I knew just as well as he did that I would not try anything. He took me to the medical wing, and I stared somewhat anxiously at the human doctor who was supposed to examine me. I did not like the thought of having his hands all over me, so I twitched my tail in a warning, the blade pointing up, facing the ceiling. Visser 3 sent me an amused glance with his stalks, the doctor more or less shaking with fear under the gaze of his main eyes. "He won't touch you inappropriately, not unless he wish for me to kill him", he told me in private thought speak, a reassuring edge to his voice which I did not find reassuring at all.

The doctor checked my entire body, looking for flaws or sickness. Unsurprisingly he found none. The SF only accept the best, and one have to pass a very detailed medical checkup in order to join. Visser 3 was pleased, and I noted the doctor's relief at this. Perhaps now he would be allowed to keep his head for a couple of more weeks. "Now that I am certain you will stay with me I would like to know your name", the Visser said moments later, as we made our way through the corridors, headed for his private part of the ship. I sent him a sidelong glance, debating wheatear or not to tell him my real name. No that it really mattered. It was just…..it felt so personal, giving him my name, having him addressing me as Darinth. "Darinth Keran Halan", I said, after only a brief moment of hesitation. He smiled at that, making my fur bristle with a combination of fear and dread. "I am looking forward getting to know you better Darinth", he then said, eying me with hungry eyes, evil eyes…..


	12. Flash of the blade

**Authors note: Finally! It sure took time writing this chapter, and I hope you won't think it is too messy. Anyway, enjoy!:DD**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

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**Metamorphstorm: Thank you so much for yet another review! Do not hesitate to come with suggestions or point out flaws!:DDDDDDDThanks again!**

**TheCrimsonTag: As always thank you so much for another awsome review! Great that you liked how I changed the POV, I was somewhat worried about that;) Yea, I now, Visser 3 is a nasty fellow, but I have serious plans for him:D As for singularity I would personally like you to continue as it is. But then again this all depends on what the new story will be like. Perhaps you could send me a message, explaining the new story concept? Then I think I can come up with some better advice;))) Thanks again for a great review! **

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**Son of the wind**

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**Chapter 12: Flash of the blade**

Damage control, that was what we were doing, what the entire andalite military seemed to be doing. Every bit of information available regarding the five individuals that had been captured was dragged to the surface, and the intelligence department was working nonstop. They were trying to determine how much sensitive intelligence that had been lost to the yeerks, a task which had turned out to be difficult. The five andalites that had been captured had not been very important, with the exception of Illewia and Darinth. I could barely believe how unlucky we had been. Out of all the 2000 individuals on that ship, 2000 andalites, and somehow Illewia and Darinth had been amongst those five unlucky individuals. And then we where seven I thought bitterly, twitching my tail in agitation. My team was now reduced from nine to seven, all because of bad luck, fate if you will. Either way the world had not been good to us lately. I felt Foorlan shift next to me in the soft bedding, stroking my back tenderly. It was early in the morning, and I should have been asleep, but I had been wide awake the entire night. There was too much to think about. I was a brooder, as Yiakle liked to say, by nature, and now I really had more than enough to brood about.

"Breeyar!" Foorlan said, sounding somewhat annoyed. "Sorry", I mumbled, flicking my ears at him. "You are brooding again are you not?" He asked, smiling slightly. I shrugged at him, waving my stalks sheepishly in response. He knew me too well. With a sight I rolled onto my other side, resting my chin on his back and purring contently when he wrapped his tail protectively around me. I managed to lie still for about two seconds before I started shuffling my hooves again, earning an amused glance from Foorlan. "Go and start your assignment", he said, finally! I did after all prevent the both of us from sleeping. He gave me a playful slap on my hindquarters before I left, waving his stalks in irritated amusement. The doors opened with a soft hiss, and I made my way through the corridors, wondering how I could possibly feel so energized fueled on two hours of sleep. It was silent in the corridors, and I hurried through, trying to get to my assigned quarters before the end of the night shift. To my surprise I was not the only one that was up early, and I glanced up briefly as a warrior passed me when I rounded the corner. Perhaps he just wanted to arrive early for his shift.

After taking the drop shaft down three levels I snuck silently into the quarters I was supposed to share with Yiakle, Werman and…..Darinth. I pushed the thought of his name away, receiving a mischievous look from Yiakle. Werman blinked sleepily at me and smirked as well, they both knew where I had spent the night. "I have to go through Darinth's stuff", I announced, regretting the effect this had on our mood. I could feel how mentioning his name made my stomach tighten and the air heavy, I'd rather not think about the whole issue, but it was too late for that, I simply found myself unable to let it slide. With a tense twitch of my tail I found his computer, and after about five minutes of messing around I was in, having crushed the security code. I had always been good with computers, better than what was healthy I suppose, and Darinth's was no different. It was the standard SF military computer, given to all recruits to help their studies. After finishing the year on the ice planet we had each chosen two fields to specialize in. I shuffled through his notes with increasing unease, realizing that I was missing something important.

To everyone's surprise Darinth had not taken the obvious pick, like weapons research or explosives or one of the more popular ones. No, instead he had chosen to specialize in two of the more science centered fields, bio-weapons research and yeerk biology. It was not something the average warrior would be interested in. Then again I knew that while Darinth was one year older than me had spent a year at the University of Advanced Science, studying biology. Perhaps that was why he had made such an unusual choice regarding his studies. I don't know. I myself had never worked very hard in school, but I had always gotten excellent grades. Math and science in particular had been very easy for me, and I knew from the moment I laid eyes on Darinth's equations that something was wrong. They looked okay until the middle section, where he had made a quite stupid mistake. Not necessarily one that was easy to spot, but furthermore a blunder someone from the University of Advanced Science should not make. Yaolin! I had spotted it pretty quickly and despite my talent with numbers Darinth was by far superior compared to me. With my eyes narrowed in concentration I corrected it, working my way through the whole thing, step by step, only to discover that the answer was still wrong.

Although I was no scientist I was pretty sure that a part of the original equation had been removed. The answer was, despite me correcting the mistake, very strange. The numbers did not match the way they should, they had been tampered with. The question was why in yaolin Darinth would go through the trouble of removing part of his own work in such a way. Then again I knew he would never do so unless he had a very good reason, that or someone else had done it. I twitched my tail in frustration, taking a closer look at the computer log, only to discover that someone had removed it. With my somewhat unusual hacker skills I started to recreate it, suddenly realizing that someone had used the computer recently. I checked the time, glancing briefly at my comrades. "Yiakle, Werman, did one of you go through Darinth's computer?" I asked, a feeling of tense uneasiness settling in my mind, making my fur bristle. They looked at me, Yiakle raising a questioning eyebrow. "Nope. You told us you would be doing it", Werman said, making my uneasiness reach new heights. "Well someone did", I said, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

Someone had gone through the computer that previous afternoon, and I was certain that it was not one belonging to my team. A quick question round performed by Yiakle confirmed my suspicions and moments later the entire unit was gathered around me, watching with anticipation as I struggled to recreate the original equation. The log indicated that whoever had messed with the computer had done so after Darinth's capture, which pretty much ruled out the possibility that he himself had done it. And then, after a tense 30 minutes I was left staring at the final result in confusion. The numbers where correct but apart from that they meant nothing to me. In school I had only had one year with biology, and I knew nothing about the inner workings of a yeerk what so ever. What I however did know was that the equation had something to do with a virus. With that I picked up the computer and barged through the door, running flat out through the corridors. "Find Foorlan, meet me at the science wing", I shouted, leaving them standing somewhat shocked in the door opening.

I skidded around the final corner and threw myself into the drop shaft, taking it to levels further down. Then I ran on, leaving a trail of cursing warriors and princes in my wake. Then again this was irrelevant, they could punish me later. I spotted prince Elfangor moments later and brutally pushed him aside, this time not bothering to apologize. He stood staring after me with a shocked expression, and I briefly wondered if he would forgive me afterwards, before I thundered into the science wing. There was a brief moment of awkward silence before the guy closest to the door dropped his computer interface in shock, the crystal like structure shattering the moment it hit the floor. "I need help", I declared, looking around the room for someone suitable. The one who looked the most arrogant, presumably the leader, raised an eyebrow at me, and I realized that my words had been taken the wrong way. Well, blast him! I did not have time to mess around with some snotty scientist. "Does this relate to you in any way?" I asked him, holding up the computer with the equation. He furrowed his brow in concentration, ears flat against his head. "Where did you get this?" He then demanded, staring at me with the typical scientist haughtiness. "That is irrelevant", I snapped aggressively. "Now answer my question!" The guy fell silent, seemingly considering his possibilities, before he started shouting out orders, people scattering all about the place.

I was left standing in the middle of chaos, somewhat confused but at the same time knowing that whatever it was Darinth had been doing it was important. The whole science team was in hysteria because of it, which suggested that this was something big. And then, finally, Foorlan came crashing through the door, the rest of my unit right behind him. He sent me a questioning look, before he leveled his attention at the head scientist. "You! Come here and explain to me what is on that computer", he bellowed, making the scientist jump in fear. Five of them gathered in front of him, the rest of us retreating to the door. "Breeyar", Foorlan waved me forward, his forest green orbs boring into me. "What happened?" I tensed, glancing quickly over at the scientists eagerly chatting over Darinth's equation. "Someone went through Darinth's computer after his capture, changing his work", I said, not bothering to go through the details. He took my point immediately, and I saw an unmistakable glint of worry in his eyes. It frightened me. Foorlan was never afraid, never, and now he was. This was serious.

After what felt like forever the head scientist came forward, all uptight and tense. "What?" Foorlan demanded, having picked up on his nervousness. "Erm…it seems, who made this!" He blurted, gesturing wildly at the computer. I saw how Foorlan's entire body twitched with anger, his eyes hardening. Clearly the scientist did not know much about the SF, or how SF officers handled disrespect. And then, finally, he noticed the glare Foorlan was giving him, nervously shuffling his hooves. "Sir..I..I..I cannot be sure, not without running more diagnostics. But…but I think whoever constructed this equation have discovered how a yeerk can survive more than three days without kandrona rays", he said, an aerie silence settling in the room. I saw how Foorlan's eyes narrowed, and felt shock surge through me as the implications of this settled in my mind. If what the scientist said turned out to be correct, and Darinth had been infested, I'd rather not think about it. But why in yaolin had he not told us? Surely he must have known? Or perhaps not, perhaps he had just suspected? The computer log had shown that the last time he himself used it was right before the fight. Was that the reason, had he simply not had the time to tell anyone before he was taken?

And that was when the other revelation hit me with a finality that made my head spin. There was only one reason why someone would try to change Darinth's work, only one reason. Because that someone did not want us to discover that the yeerks might have gotten an advantage. Was it possible, was it even possible? Perhaps it was just a bad dream, a real bad nightmare. Then again I knew deep down that there was no point in deluding myself. The facts spoke for themselves, we had a traitor on the ship, or even worse, a yeerk…..


	13. Sad but true

**Authors note: Finally! I am so sorry for the delay! My only excuse is an unpredicted trip to Germany, which caught me somewhat off guard. Hopefully I will have the next chapter up in four days or something, then I'l be gone for three weeks before the next update. Anyway, just to warn you this chapter is kind of sick and twisted, I did not exactly enjoy writing it, but felt it was neccecary. Enjoy and be warned!;))**

**PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**

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**TheCrimsonTag: Thank you so much for your as always awsome reviews! This was a really long one too, which is always great!:) I will admit that I was a little unsure about chapter 12, afraid that the pace was to fast, rushed, so I am relieved that you thought this was okay. As for the girl I can't really tell you much without revealing the plot, while you seem to have this sixth sense regarding what I will write next. But, I can assure you that she is important;) **

**As for singularity I know all about bussy days and training. If this is more practictal for you, just explain the story concept in your next review and then I can answer here. Good luck with your football and all, and I hope to read your new stuff soon!;))**

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Son of the wind

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**Chapter 13: Sad but true**

**Darinth's POV**

The ship was silent, the night shift just having started. I was lying on my side in Visser 3s bed, pretending to sleep. His quarters were nice, huge actually, with sweet, green grass of an unfamiliar type on the floor, a fully equipped training facility, luxurious bedding. Everything one might need was there. Not that I was really surprised; He was the third highest ranking warlord in the Yeerk Empire, of course he had everything one could desire. With a tired sight I shifted, coiling my tail loosely over my lower back. I could hear the Visser just a few meters away, reading what I presumed to be reports of some sort on his computer. He had not touched me, not yet anyway, but I knew that he would. It was not a question of if, rather when. Although I was pretty sure that he would honor his promise, treating me well, I did not by any means look forward to what I knew was coming. More than anything else I felt ashamed. I had my reasons yes, but no one else knew that, for them it would just seem like I was a coward, like I had given up and willingly become Visser 3s lover. Blast it! It was too late for me to start caring about what other people thought, I had made my choice and now I would just have to stand by it.

"I know you are not asleep Darinth", the Visser suddenly said, his tone of voice making my hearts sink. So much for thinking I could avoid him by sleeping. I opened my main eyes only to find him watching me with his stalks, shutting off the computer. He turned around, hungrily watching me with his main eyes. Alloran was a handsome male, tall and powerfully built with cobalt blue fur and a chiseled face. Better to stay positive I thought bitterly, getting to my hooves with a twitch of my tail. Not that him being attractive would make a huge difference, but at least now I would perhaps be able to enjoy it a little. He approached me carefully, his tail down to the side in a gesture of peace. I shifted uneasily; he pressed his palms against my cheeks in the andalite version of a kiss, the sensation making my fur bristle. He was older and thus taller, forcing me to tilt my head up in order to look at him. It was very unsettling, the way his touch made me shiver with pleasure, and the same time I wanted nothing but killing him. With another tired sight I closed my eyes, leaning heavily into his hands. It gave an illusion of love and tenderness, an illusion of home, but it was just an illusion. And a terrible one at that.

"Tired?" He asked me moments later, green eyes watching me intently. "Yes Visser", I dutifully answered, shoulders slumped. "You can call me Esplin when we are alone", he said, his eyes never leaving my face. I waved my stalks in response, somewhat intrigued with his behavior. He made everything so personal, just what I had been told to avoid during training. The moment your enemy got a name, a history, the moment emotions where involved, that was when the battle was lost. Then again I had already lost my battle, or at least one of them, so I guess it could not hurt too much obeying his request. He moved his hands from my shoulders to my chest, his fingers trailing a complicated pattern along my torso. I shivered lightly in response, inhaling deeply. "If you are tired you should sleep", he suddenly said, catching me completely off guard. I pulled away from him, staring at him with a somewhat shocked look. "You made it pretty clear what you want from me", I said, voice filled with uncertainty. He smiled slightly, his eyes wandering shamelessly over my body. "You are no good when you are tired", he simply said, laughing when I blushed at his remark.

With that I lied down again, resisting the urge to shudder when he lied down behind me. He pulled me close, massaging my sore muscles with firm hands. It felt good; I could not deny that. Then again being massaged by Visser 3 was not something I could enjoy without being torn apart from inside, waves of shame and despair flowing through me. He ruffled my ears, feeling my fur, exploring my body with interest. "I am surprised you agreed so quickly to my request", the Visser, Esplin, said after a while, wrapping his arms around my torso. It took all my self control to relax, to not give anything away. Whatever happened I had to avoid infestation at all costs, I could not afford making him suspicious. With a sight I trained one stalk at him, my face contorted in resignation. "Because I am a selfish coward", I then said, twitching my tail uncomfortably. He stroked my cheek with his hand, once again eying my body with interest. "Really", he then said, eyes glinting dangerously. "You are very built, more so than most warriors", he continued, seemingly aware that he was onto something. "You physique suggests that you are not afraid of pain. I would at least expect you to try and make a point out of not surrendering willingly", he left it at that, looking for a response from me.

I froze, my tired mind unable to come up with a quick response. Say something, something! I urged myself on, desperately looking for the proper words. In the end I waited too long, whatever I said it would be too late, so instead I chose to keep silent. The Visser laughed softly, but to my surprise it was not mocking or terrifying, it was merely a curious laugh. "Tell me Darinth, what exactly did you do in the military?" He then asked, all four eyes watching me. This was the moment I had been dreading with all of me. I could tell him a lie, that was one option, but by no means a good one. The already infested andalites where most likely aware that I was not just any regular warrior. Perhaps I should just tell the truth. "I am..I was, an SF recruit", I said, my voice a mere whisper in my mind. My hearts where thundering in my chest, my fur erect with fear. Was this it, had I just sealed my fate as a host? "Hush…..relax, I made you a promise and despite what you seem to think I intend to honor it", he said, squeezing me with a pleased expression in his eyes. "Tell me what I wish to know and I will not hurt you. You are merely a recruit, you do not have intelligence valuable to us, there is nothing to be afraid of", he continued, sniffing my fur and stroking my torso back.

Relief flowed through me at this. I was pretty sure I could answer his questions without giving anything away. A mere recruit, he would not ask dangerous questions, not the ones I had feared at least. "For how long have you been in the SF?" He asked me, a curious edge to his voice which put me somewhat at ease. "One and a half year", I replied, memories of the ice planet once again popping up in my mind. It was a year I would never forget. So much had happened there. I had learned more about myself, I had grown stronger, and…..I had met Breeyar. That had been a turning point sort of. Of course, I had always known who he was; he was after all a celebrity, the best tail fighter on the homeworld. Getting to know him had taught me a lot. He was special; the kind of individual that one immediately knew would accomplish great things. Then again he was also somewhat mysterious, and despite his fighting skills he was a thinker, a brooder. I felt Visser 3's hand on my back moments later and looked up, only to find him watching me intently. "Well, at least now I know why you are so muscular", he said, eye smiling at me. I shrugged, wanting to change the subject. Visser 3 was a very strange yeerk, at least compared to what I had learned to expect.

"Why did you not take the female?" I asked, hoping to lure out of him what plans they had for Illewia. He smiled, amusement evident in his green eyes, the look he gave me making me blush. Of course, he saw right through me. "You want to change the subject already?" He inquired, his smile widening. I did not answer, merely stared expectantly at him, hoping he would answer. He shrugged still smiling, waving his stalks playfully at me. "I have always found males more attractive, more…..challenging", he said, resting one hand on the base of my tail. "Besides the female belongs to Visser 4, it is not up to me what he decides to with her. He did ask me if I wanted to swap you for her though". That last comment made me shudder involuntarily. Becoming the host of Visser 4, never! The visser laughed lightly at my disgusted expression. "What do you think he will do to her?" I asked, deciding that he seemed to be rather patient with me. "You are very curios", he remarked, wrapping a blanket around my shoulders. "I thought you were tired". I waved my stalks at him in uncertainty, wondering what to say. With a sight he pushed me down into the soft sheets, proceeding to pull blankets over the both of us.

"You are not going to like it", he warned me, his eyes glinting with something I recognized as…..regret? I tensed, my fur bristling nervously. "They have started a breeding program", he said, all four eyes on my face. "A…..a what?" I blurted, to shocked to successfully control my emotions. Illewia, oh no, no, NO! "What is wrong with you?" I whispered, forgetting who I was talking to. "You, YOU SICK BASTARDS!" The Visser sighted, draping his tail around my lower body to keep me from standing up. I wanted to cry, to kill something, someone, I wanted to see blood; I wanted the yeerks to suffer. They were evil, disgusting, respectless creatures. "Why are you doing this?" I asked the Visser, staring at him with despair, struggling to keep myself from breaking completely in front of him. It felt as if my head was going to explode, I felt physically sick. "Despite what you might think andalite, I do not…approve", the Visser said softly, the regret more noticeable this time. I did not know what was more surprising, Illewia's fate or the fact that Visser 3 for some strange reason seemed to agree with me. Perhaps he was not so evil after all; then again he probably had his own sick reasons for agreeing with me.

"The three other yeerks with male hosts has already agreed", the Visser continued, a disgusted edge to his voice. "Not you?" I asked harshly, having completely forgotten that it would be unwise to provoke him. With a sneer he took a hold of my shoulders, forcing me down on my side, our faces only centimeters apart. "You better be grateful Darinth", he snapped, making it clear what my fate would have looked like had it not been for him. I struggled underneath him, kicking my hooves in frustration and despair. I wanted nothing more than to help her, and yet I knew there was nothing I could do. It was not a good feeling, it was one of helplessness. Finally I calmed down, still shivering with raging emotions. "There is nothing you can do Darinth", the Visser said, his voice soft and smooth. He rubbed my back gently, and it shocked me when I realized that he was trying to comfort me. "That is irrelevant", I said, still fighting the tears. The Visser merely sighted, seemingly in deep thought.

"Don't think about it, you will only upset yourself", he informed me, dimming the lights with a simple thought speak command. "Sleep well", he then said, pulling me closer. I did not answer; I merely closed my eyes, silent tears erupting at the corner of my eyes. What in yaolin had I gotten myself into…


	14. The memory remains

**Authors note: Once again I am very sorry for the delay! I can't say for sure when the next update will come, but hopefully it will come faster than this one did. Right now I am working on "Behind the wall of sleep", and while this is getting quite a lot of feedback I am currently focusing on this. If you guys want me to continue this story please tell me, because I don't write unless people read:)**

**PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**

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TheCrimsonTag: Thank you so much for a totally awsome review! This update is for you, and I really hope you are still planning on continuing "Singularity"!:DDDD

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Son of the wind

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**Chapter 14: The memory remains **

The entire ship had been sealed off. Communications where blocked, and all personnel, including Foorlan and the other high ranking officers, were scanned, looking for yeerks. The Galaxy 3 had gotten more assistance the day before, when another dom-ship, the Nova, had arrived. Together they had worked their way through the entire crew, finding nothing. I found the entire experience very unsettling. There was no longer any doubt that the ship was yeerk free, which could only lead to one conclusion. The traitor was an andalite.

The remains of Foorlan's SF unit, me, Yiakle, Seerian, Samarian, Perry, Werman and Kalasia had quickly been dismissed as suspects, and we were sent back to the SF headquarters at the forest moon of Endor within a few days. It felt strange, surrealistic; the way things had played out. We had been nine, now we were seven, two of us having fallen in the hands of the enemy. I felt, I don't know, numb? Devastated? Angry? Despairing? Or perhaps a combination of all four of them. Either way I didn't really know what to think, none of us did. On one hand we mourned them, but then on the other we knew with a disturbing degree of certainty that they were alive, infested probably. Arriving back at Endor was a relief in the sense that we had gotten some distance between us and the catastrophe, but then again we were know further away from Darinth and Illewia than we had ever been before. Somewhere out there, light-years away, they were still alive, and I, we, couldn't do anything to help them. I had begged Foorlan to launch a rescue mission, literally begged him on my knees, I had even considered stealing a ship to go after them on my own. Naturally Foorlan had more or less beaten some sense in to me, forcing me to realize and accept that there was no use, they were gone. Then again that did not make things any easier, if possible it made things harder, more difficult to deal with. It felt wrong to just….give up on them, and that was exactly what we did.

The bittersweet sensation of being alive and free, while Darinth and Illewia was…..infested, I couldn't quite describe nor comprehend it. And furthermore I felt relieved, better them than me. It was a selfish and ruthless perspective, one any Anaza warrior would have been proud of. After what had happened in the ship hangar that small detail was more than enough to drag me into deep depression, but in a way this felt right. I was not exactly a saint; I deserved what was coming for me, and I, more than anyone deserved to be in Darinth and Illewia's place. That being said life is rarely fair, which is a good thing for me I suppose. Somehow it is always the honest, brave and kindhearted individuals who suffer the cruelest of fates, while the cunning selfish and brutal ones, much like I myself, pulls the longest straw. Naturally my brothers in arms did not share this perception, but they did not see my thoughts, did not feel nor experience my darker sides on a daily basis. I suppressed that part of me, pushed it down, made sure it was hidden, unable to resurface. They did not know about Onelia either, and I would never tell them, I was too…..shameful. I 'd rather forget the whole thing, suppress it until I could no longer remember. My arrival at Endor made this easier in the sense that our real training began, the one we had both dreaded and looked forward to for the past two years. The one Foorlan referred to as the harshest three years of our life. He was right.

The first day we chose our professions. All together it was vital that the unit had experts in the following fields; explosives and weapons technology, espionage, engineering and piloting, tailfighting or closecombat, sniping, morphing, field medicine, yeerk biology, interrogation technique, resource utilization, torture, intergalactic relations, foreign technology, intelligence, biological weaponry and computer technology. Every individual was to choose two. My tailfighting experience was thus taken into consideration, and as a result I ended up with four professions instead of two; tailfighting, explosives and weapons technology, sniping and of course the most time consuming one, engineering and piloting. Perry chose field medicine and computer technology, while Werman went for intergalactic relations and biological weaponry. The last one was something all of us, to a certain extent, feared, but this did not seem to put him off, if anything it encouraged him, which I suppose was a good thing. To everyone's surprise Yiakle ended up being the most intellectual one, while he chose foreign technology and espionage. That left Samarian with morphing and intelligence, Seerian with yeerk biology and interrogation technique, and Kalasia with torture and resource utilization. The last one did feel slightly random, at least in my mind, but then again they were his first choices so he probably felt differently. As for the whole torture thing I couldn't exactly say I was very surprised. It was useful yes, brutal and gruesome most definitely, and the public knew nothing, which was a good thing I suppose.

My four professions were Foorlan's doing, of course, and because of this the entire unit was forced to endure one more year of training, so that I could complete all four of them. Naturally everyone received basic courses in all professions, as well as extra studies of mathematics, chemistry and science, and of course we were sent on various training missions and forced to endure harsh and unforgiving conditions. All in all our new reality was a busy one, and as weeks became months and months became years we got dangerous, skilled. By the end of our last year we were considered the best unit of them all, and had already completed several missions during our training years. There was a brief celebration were I received the rank of war prince and officially was pronounced the leader of our little group, and then we were sent straight on our first mission. It was a routine mission at best, given to us with the sole purpose of allowing us some free time, although Foorlan's perception of a couple of weeks off was somewhat strange in my opinion. We were sent to a distant desert moon to look after a group of scientists who were doing some kind of research project on desert life; a pretty boring task if you ask me, but then again I am no scientist. It was a two day journey, and we were picked up by a small transporter stuffed with scientists and equipment. The only positive thing was that the head scientist was a very attractive female a couple of years older than me, which did open for some rather appealing possibilities.

I approached her couple of days after we had arrived at our destination, having observed her at the distance for a while, and being fed up with Yiakle's teasing. After a heated discussion they had all made bets on how long it would take me to seduce her, and after close consideration I had accepted the challenge. Blast it! We had been at this dust ball for two days, and the most interesting thing that had happened was Werman stamping on a fossil. The scientists had been furious, and after watching the whole thing escalate over the course of the past two days I had now been forced to intervene, which was the perfect excuse for having a private conversation with the pretty female. Of course, I had introduced myself when we first arrived at the ship, but she hadn't shown any real interest, apart from declaring that she knew my sister, Kliana, which was not a good sign. Come to think of it she looked somewhat familiar, but that was not enough to scare me off, oh now. The past years I had, among other things, gained a considerable amount of experience regarding such things, this one would be easy. "Dr. Derin", I greeted her, gracefully sidestepping the fossils she was standing bent over. "I believe a discussion is in order". She looked up, arms firmly crossed as she watched me. "Yes, and I believe an apology will be in order as well", she snapped, eying me with superiority. I sent her a chirming smile, pleased when I noted that a small blush slowly crept up her cheeks.

We strolled casually side by side away from the camp, finding sanctuary from the sun in the shadow of an orange rock formation. Everything was orange here, the sand, the rocks, even the atmosphere had a yellowish glow to it, while the sky was bright red. It was a strange place, cold during the night and unbelievably hot during the day. Here and there small reptile looking creatures were visible, and also they were orange, yellow or red. The only good thing was that I could run. I liked that, being able to run and run and run without slowing down, feeling the wind in my fur, the sand whisking along my sides. "So what do you think of this place?" I asked Dr. Derin politely, my voice soft and seemingly innocent. She waved her stalks at me, too flattered by the attention to notice that we were not discussing the problem at hand. Or perhaps she didn't care, either way that was okay with me. "It is great for research", she said, smiling eagerly at me. "We are trying to gain more knowledge about species living in desert environments; this is the third planet we are on". I smiled in response, leisurely stretching. She stared, and blushed when I smiled at her. It didn't take more than another half hour before I had her exactly where I wanted her, and as it was Werman won the bet. I could tell that she wanted me by the way her fur stood erect, and of course her smell. It seemed to burn in my nostrils, slightly sweet but strong. Of course it was a relief getting out all the tension, and we spent a couple of hours mating, truly enjoying each other.

I flexed my tail afterwards, feeling good and relaxed. She watched me the entire time, her expression one I couldn't quite place. "This was what you intended from the beginning", she stated, seemingly intrigued but not very worried, or offended for that matter. I waved my stalks in response, smirking ever so slightly at her. "You didn't seem to mind", I responded, watching her with my main eyes. "No, but I am a modern female. I have chosen my career instead of marriage. Enjoying a male every now and then is just a hobby", she countered, her words causing me to raise an eyebrow. "And if I was married? What then?" I inquired, somewhat amused by her philosophy. Over the years I had almost forgotten my understanding for the female cause, much due to Illewia. It was easier to forget the whole thing, to view females as nothing more than objects of pleasure. Then I wouldn't have to remember. Dr. Derin snorted, still intently watching me, eyes glinting with a combination of shy attraction and embarrassment. Just as I thought; she wasn't as though as she wanted me to believe. "Well, I suppose then I wouldn't have mated with you", she said after a while, although I did detect a sense of insecurity in her voice. "A shame", I said, smiling playfully at her, in which she responded by blushing. They were all the same I reflected, gazing thoughtfully up at the crimson sky. Like delicate flowers, silly and feminine with minds which were easily shattered or played with.

Illewia was different, and for a brief moment I saw her face again, a painful flash which I quickly suppressed. Dr. Derin tilted her head to the side, and I quickly put up my expressionless mask, giving nothing away. "You love someone?" She inquired, her voice sounding both envious and surprised. I didn't respond at first, once again drawn back to memory lane, a place I resented more than anything else. I was just about to deny the whole thing when Yiakle's thought speak voice reached out to me from the camp. "Bug fighters!"


	15. Infinite dreams

**Authors note: Yay, this time I was rather quick no? Anyway, this chapter moves slower than the previous one, and the real action will begin in chapter 16, so stay tuned;)**

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!;DD**

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TheCrimsonTag: Thank you so much for a totally awsome review, as always! Yes, I totally agree with you. The love scene should have been slightly more detailed. As it is I will probably go back and rewrite it before I start working on chapter 16, because I think you made a very valid point. The pace of chapter 14 was very fast to begin with, so it kind of needed that slightly more detailed scene twords the end. Anyway, I have to say I am very impressed with your avatar stories, although I'm still sort of in the mood for more "Singularity", but keep on writing, and thanks again for a GREAT review!:DDD btw: There is some sniping stuff in the end, I got inspired by you avatar "military" oneshots;)

BirdieNumNum: Thank you so much for an absolutely great review! As I mentioned in my response it was very inspiring, and I really hope you will enjoy the rest of the story. I have taken what you said into consideratio, and you really gave some great ideas for the whole "Illewia" issue:) Thanks again!:DDD

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**Son of the wind**

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**Chapter 15: Infinite dreams **

"Run", I snapped, pushing Doctor Derin in front of me. Yaolin! Never before I had been more grateful for my training. As per usual the first thing we had done when setting up camp was getting the deep space censors going. The regular military will normally make do with regular censors, which gives you about 15 minutes until the detected ships will arrive. The deep space censors on the other hand, had given us two days. Having deep space censors on the ground is difficult because of the atmospheric interference, but this time it had paid off. That being said we still did not have much time. Our first priority was getting the science team off the planet, and that had to happen within the hour should they avoid being detected by the approaching yeerks. As al ships yeerk bug fighters and mother ships are also equipped with deep space censors, and although their range is smaller than ours they are good enough. Disturbingly good actually, and I was not about to underestimate them just because of my hatred.

We got the scientists and their equipment on the transporter in a mere thirty minutes; pretty good if you ask me, and I watched the ship take off with mixed feelings. The three fighters had been left behind for the seven of us, and they would do. They were smaller and easier to cloak, both from censors and from view, as well as being swifter and better means of transportation should we encounter yeerks. However we couldn't leave, not yet. "Z-space communications are up and running", Perry informed me moments later, just as the transporter disappeared from view. "It should be a secure line", he added, and I raised an eyebrow at him, smiling when he blushed in response. Poor Perry, his emotions still betrayed him, at least when I was around. The others proceeded to set up a force field and a proper cloaking device, while I entered a nearby tent, were Perry had set up the transmission. A slightly uneven and grainy hologram was already hanging in thin air right before me, Foorlan's unmistakable deep green orbs intently watching me.

"Sir", I greeted him formally, standing rapt attention until he waved me off, acknowledging me with a casual wave of his stalks. "Now, this is an emergency frequency, I take it you have seen some action", he stated, a slight smile evident in his eyes. As always he made me uncomfortable, and I inhaled deeply, our eyes locking."Our deep space censors have picked up yeerk ships fast approaching, they will be here within two days", I said smoothly, somewhat pleased with myself. "Good", he responded, a thoughtful expression settling on his countenance. "Any indication on how many?" He inquired, eyes glinting with interest. "No, but Perrylan have gone through most of the data. The interference taken into consideration he suspects there might be at least one or two bigger ships", I said, feeling sort of strange calling Perry by his given name. For me he was Perry the shy computer nerd whom we all loved, not Perrylan the great warrior from the fairytale my mother used to read for me when I was a foal. That being said Perry was no coward, he was just…..Perry.

Foorlan sent me a scrutinizing gaze, eying me with humor and that characteristic combination of sly intelligence and arrogance that he always seemed to possess. "Well Breeyar? What do you say? Do you think the team is ready for some real action?" I twitched my tail in nervous excitement, making sure to put up a believable face. "Yes sir", I replied seriously, catching the slight twinkle in his eye. Of course, that bastard, he had made up his mind the moment he saw my face on the hologram transmitter, he was just dragging things out, as usual."Well, in that case I suggest you prepare for guerilla warfare. Assess the target, determine why they are here, and eliminate them if possible. If things get complicated pull out", he said, eyes gleaming. "You look good by the way", he added, before promptly ending the transmission.

With a sight I turned the system off, defiantly crossing my arms. Foorlan had to be the most untraditional military officer I had ever encountered. That being said everyone in the SF stood out in their own unique way: we were the weirdoes of the andalite military, and that delighted me. Over the past three years our relationship had developed, gotten more personal on a deeper level. He looked out for me, he really did, and for that I was more than grateful. The physical aspect was good was well, and although we rarely had the time I did cherish those few moments. That being said I was fully aware of his interest in me; he was training me to become his successor, and although I felt uncertain about my future I was flattered. He was good at that, manipulating and directing people so that things would go in his favor. Then again I saw no reason to interfere or go against him as long as he looked out for my interests, which he did. So much for having an honest and honorable military I thought with a smirk. As if that would ever happen.

The preparations started immediately. All equipment was packed and secured, divided between the three fighters. The cloaking and the surrounding force field was double checked, and sniper rifles and other necessities were lined up in neat rows. By nightfall I ordered Werman and Kalasia out for a quick scout trip, and they took one fighter each, leaving just as the last of the two suns disappeared behind the horizon. Glints of purple, violet and pinkish light crisscrossed the sky in one last magnificent lightshow, before it was overtaken by darkness. Bleak orange clouds were floating around, resembling thick fog, but apart from this the sky was clear, and I quickly found my homestar, bright and shining. Strange how that small distant spot of light seemed to glow the strongest, outshining everything else. I had not set foot on the homeworld, not seen my family, in more than four years, and I missed them with all of me. My mother, my father, even Kliana and Verinia, but most of all I missed Meradean. I felt alone and deserted, insecure. He had always been that solid part of my existence. The one thing that never changed, that always looked out for me.

With a tired sigh I shook my head, twitching my tail in uncertainty. Soon, when we had completed a couple of successful mission, then perhaps they would grant us some leave. We needed it, I needed it."Hey there B, tired?" Yiakle gave me a quick pat on the shoulder, coming to stand beside me. "Na, not really", I responded, having gotten used to his casual behavior long ago. All those years ago, when I was a foal, a two year old, up until I joined the military Milan had been my shorm. It felt different now, I was different, and despite the fact that we sort of encouraged each other's rebelliousness I had never had a shorm like Yiakle. We understood each other, and add to that the fact that we had spent more than four years in each other's company. Sure, he was my second in command, but that did not mean that we could not be friends. Silly and childish I know, but I still loved playfighting with him.

"Do you think she will be among them?" He asked, looking up at the sky, at our homestar, just as I did. "Who?" I inquired, although I was perfectly aware of whom he was referring to. How could I forget? "Visser 1", he clarified, chuckling softly at my expression. "That would be a cruel twist of fate wouldn't it?" I said, waving my stalks at him, smiling somewhat sardonically. I would never forget it, never. The small, lithe creature with curly fur on its head, no tail and gleaming hazel eyes, the human. On one hand I would like to meet it, her, again, to have a shoot at killing her. And then there was what she had said and done; I didn't really know what to make of that. She confused me. Then again maybe that was what made her a skilled Visser, the way she saw right through you. But she had not been able to figure me out, the Anaza part of me had ensured that. What did I know, perhaps that was why she had been so fascinated?

"The odds are…impossible", Yiakle comment, gently squeezing my shoulder to offer comfort. "Not impossible, just…unlikely", I said, smiling ever so slightly. And then there was the unspoken question, the one every single one of us asked himself at least once every second day; Would we met them, somewhere far off in the future? Darinth and Illewia, would we ever see them again? Fight them? "I hope not", Yiakle said silently, sending me a sidelong glance, answering my thoughts so to speak. He was right, but that did not mean that I agreed with him. There was something in me that wanted to see them again. Deep down I still held onto the hope that perhaps one day I would see them again, that I could free them, that everything could be like they were back on the ice moon. Wistful thinking and not something I should dwell on. Hope was one thing, reality was another. With that I swiftly spun around, trotting back towards the sleeping area. "You'll take the first watch, tell Perry the second is his", I called over my shoulder, finding sanctuary in the biggest of the two tents. It was equipped with heating devices, and Kalasia had covered the ground with soft mats sometime in the afternoon. Both him, Werman, Samarian, Perry and Seerian were already there, sleeping, and I lied down at a free spot, curling up to sleep. I knew I would need it.

Morning came early, two bright balls of light climbing up the sky and illuminating the red atmosphere. The stars were no longer visible, whisked out by all the reds and yellows. Not that I was bothered, that way it was easier to stay focused. That being said I was not exactly looking forward to spending yet another day mindlessly wandering about. We had about 24 hours to kill before the yeerks were due to arrive, and I had learned long ago that the waiting was by far the worst part. As Meradean used to say; war is 99% waiting and 1% sheer terror. Were this insight came from I didn't know, but he was right, no doubt about that. I went for a run before it got too hot, practiced my tail fighting with Yiakle, feed on liquid grass from our supplies…Ugh! And then, when nightfall came, I unpacked my sniper. It had been a gift so to speak, from Foorlan. Slowly, almost star struck I opened the black metal case, carefully brushing my fingers over the small, complicated parts. The elegance and the craftsmanship was unmistakable, and an insane sensation of satisfaction flowed through me as the various parts clicked softly into place. It was a Rassaka, the best sniper rifle ever invented, but also the one that was the most difficult to use.

Named after its inventor, who ironically enough was killed by one, it had been made in 6012, a little more than 150 years ago. Since then it had been greatly improved, but it was still difficult to handle, and any bad sniper's worst nightmare. If you were good on the other hand, it was the best weapon you could think of. With a pleased sigh I stared at the finished product. Its twelve parts now looked like one whole piece of smooth, dark metal. That being said it wasn't metal, but a stone named ferami, found only at the glaziers on the north pole of my world. It was a light and durable material, and perfect for this particular rifle. Much like the standard military issue shredder the Rassaka was a blast weapon, only it produced small balls of transparent energy. This made it more or less impossible to detect the sniper unless you found him from the air, or by foot. The actual blast was untraceable, and it did not offer a clean kill, but made a hell of a mess, which again opened for fear and confusion. It was a brutal weapon, no doubt, but it was also a very efficient weapon, my favorite one.

Before going to sleep we packed the tents and the sleeping mats in the fighters. We would sleep there tonight; it was better that way, safer. I did not put the Rassaka back in its case, but kept it beside me the entire night, just a couple of centimeters away. It did offer a certain comfort, and it served as a reminder. Tomorrow the game would be on, and I looked forward to it. Hopefully I would have a clear shot at someone important, a Visser, perhaps a councilor even. Hn, probably not the last one, but at least a Visser. Either way I felt certain that the Rassaka would serve its purpose, it always did…


	16. That certain female

**Authors note: Well, here we go! After finally shaking off nearly 6 months of writing block here it is, chapter 16. I think it is going in the right diarection, and I beg you, PLEASE PLASE PLEASE REVIEW!**

**TheCrimsonTAg: Thank you so much for continuing to review even though I have not been very good at updating lately! I will try to have the next chapter up in couple of weeks!:DDD**

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**Son of the wind**

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**Chapter 16: That certain female **

**Visser 1s POV: **

"Andalites", Eva said haughtily. She was laughing at me, and I could feel waves of satisfaction radiating from her. Despite my better judgment I didn't punish her, but sat down in my office chair with a sigh. This operation hadn't started on a very good note, not at all, and come to think of it Eva had every reason to mock me.

I was in charge of building a new base. And, not just any base, but a new headquarter. Something which could replace our original home planet, which had been guarded by andalite doom ships since the beginning of the war. Unfortunately it seemed that the andalites had once again foreseen our actions. What I presumed to be a small andalite task force had already taken out about a third of our digging and building equipment, which meant that we were already several months behind schedule. A brand new laser cutter, among other things, was damaged beyond repair, and it would take us at least four months to build another one from scratch. They had blown up the entire area where we had placed all our equipment, and then, as my people where running away from the flames a sniper had been waiting for them. A damn good sniper as well I might add.

My advisors were worried. This was not the work of the regular andalite military they said, the entire thing had been too clean, too…professional. And deep down I did agree with them. Unfortunately this didn't make things any easier. If I was right this was not a normal task force, but an SF team. A highly trained and skilled unit from the andalite special forces. If there is one thing any yeerk fears, it is an andalite from the SF. With a success rate of nearly 90% the SF is constantly destroying yeerk operations and carrying out assassinations across the universe. If this indeed was an SF team I felt certain that we were in trouble. Naturally I couldn't be sure, but the facts spoke for themselves. Even though I hated the idea I was already considering contacting Visser 3. Granted that we were not on the best of terms, but through him I would be able to get a hold of our own special unit. A unit whose sole purpose was hunting down SF teams. Not that they had been too successful, but they were still my best option, everything considered.

"What if he dies?" Eva snickered at me, trying to hide her own worry. "You can't hide anything from me human", I said, condescending radiating from me. Still, she had a point, and despite what I wanted her to think, she knew. "The odds are….impossible", I finally said, subconsciously biting my lip. Eva didn't respond, but I could feel her struggling to convince herself. How long had it been now? Four years? Five? Five years since we had bored an andalite doom ship. Five years since we had failed because of one andalite? One lone andalite. I would have liked having him as a host. That was what I had first thought when I saw him; that he would become my future host. Now I wasn't so sure anymore. After witnessing the slaughter which had ensued shortly after I captured him, I had become….conflicted. For the first time in my life I had seen a creature which I knew I would never be able to control.

He had been young, 17, perhaps 18 cycles. To my surprise I had found him strikingly beautiful as well, with piercing golden eyes and deep blue fur, black stripes crisscrossing his entire body in complicated but symmetrical patterns.

I wondered what it would be like had he belonged to me. There had been something about him, something special. With that I stood up, pulling my hair in frustration. Eva was silent. Unlike me she had come to terms with loving an andalite long ago. I of course refused to describe it with such a word, although I had distinct feeling that she was right, at least partly. The mysterious golden eyed andalite going by the name Breeyar Arrangor Anaza had become an obsession, and now matter how hard I tried I couldn't get rid of it. "You should be honest with yourself", Eva said to me, and I once again ignored her. This was our last day together, and despite myself I did feel slightly nostalgic. Of course I couldn't just give her to another yeerk. She knew too much, had witnessed far too many of my failures. No, as of now I would just keep her as an extra host, just in case the new one got sick or something.

And my new host, what a host! There was no secret that Visser 4s breeding program had been a disaster, that the female he had captured had turned out to be sterile. I however cared little about that. The important thing was that she was an andalite, and of course the fact that she could morph. Visser 4 owed me for old times' sake, which was why he had not taken her himself, but given her to me. I of course, was grateful, more than grateful. This host meant power, respect, and of course knowledge, which for me was perhaps the most important thing.

I left my quarters shortly afterwards, making my way towards the pool area. My lieutenant was waiting for me, standing rapt attention. Only a couple of meters a group of hork-bajirs were holding the chains of my new host, and I gestured for them to move away in order for me to see her. I had of course known what to expect from reading reports, from talking to Visser 4. But still, seeing her shocked me. No wonder no one else wanted her, andalite or not. She looked terrible. Her fur, what was left of it, was matted and dirty, her hooves resembling those of a female five times her age. Perhaps she had once been beautiful, but now there was no spark in her eye anymore, she looked empty, broken. Eva was sad, and in a way so was I. It was difficult to imagine this sorry excuse of a female as the proud, independent creature she had once been. She looked used….exploited, like a creature who didn't have anything more to give.

She was skinny, too skinny. Her hip bones were sticking out, as well as her spine and shoulder blades. She struck me as frail, weak, and despite myself I felt sorry for her. Like me I felt certain that she had dreams, desires, hopes, or at least she used to. Now those hopes were crushed. I could see the outlines of her face, high cheekbones, big eyes, delicate ears. Yes, she had most definitely been beautiful, and I hoped my doctor's could bring it back. Perhaps they could even bring back that spark, bring back the hope. I wasn't sure why I cared so much, why seeing an andalite suffer made me feel…..guilty. There was just something about seeing such a magnificent creature, yes despite what one might think most yeerks will describe an andalite as just that. They have everything we wish we had, strength, speed, beauty; and seeing her stripped of all that made me depressed. It wasn't right.

No, there was no doubt in my mind anymore. I couldn't infest her, not in this state. With that I leveled a glare at my lieutenant, crossing my arms. "Have it transferred to sick bay", I paused, once again looking her over, wondering why no one had done anything to restore her. "I want it back in shape as soon as possible; inform me immediately when progress is made". They led her away shortly afterwards, and I was left in deep thought. I wasn't sure why I hadn't believed what was written in the reports, why I had deluded myself into thinking she would look fine. Clearly she did not. I had never seen myself as a very sentimental yeerk, but still. There was no point in treating a potential host as bad as she had clearly been treated. She was of no use in such a state anyway, so why making things worse? "Because your people are cruel by nature", Eva said to me, sounding strained. "Because it is what you do".

Perhaps she was right. I wasn't sure, couldn't be, not anymore. Doubting my people, my existence, those were not thoughts fit for a visser. Either way I would never voice my concerns out loud, I wasn't stupid after all. I wondered if I was the only one, the only yeerk who cared. Surely the peasemovement did, but they were weak, unorganized. They couldn't do anything. At least not anything which would make a difference. "You have changed Edriss", Eva said to me, sounding thoughtful. "So have you", I responded tiredly, slowly making my way back to my quarters. Things had never been this complicated when I was younger. Then I had been all ambition and drive. I still was of course, just not to the same extent. It was then that I decided to do something I had never done before.

With grim determination I sat down in front of the computer interface in my quarters, and after only a brief moment of hesitation I entered a new frequency. It was one I knew very well, too well, and I could feel Eva tense up. In a way I was already a traitor I reflected, patiently waiting while the computer connected with another computer, hundreds of lightyears away. I was contacting earth, contacting my worst enemy, and despite this it felt right. I could feel Eva's question before she asked it, and with a sigh I assured her I wouldn't tell. Her son was safe, for now. The hologram in front of me was uneven and grainy, and as it got clearer I recognized Visser 3s andalite self, staring at me, his eyes wide with surprise.

"You were right", I said, gazing pointedly at him, struggling to maintain my posture. "About the female", I clarified, and he looked at me, understanding written in his eyes. "That project was doomed from the beginning", he merely said, shrugging. "For an andalite female to carry a healthy child there have to be a certain chemistry with the male in question. It is a complex process, something which shouldn't be tampered with in a lab". He didn't look very happy, perhaps he indeed was an andalite sympathizer. Either way he did have a point. I had read the reports. They had tried numerous times, only succeeding with two stillbirths and a vecol, which had been killed immediately after birth. "She does not look very good", I hesitantly said, unsure why he was telling me all this, and furthermore why I had contacted him. We looked at each other, a silent moment of understanding passing between us. Was I really doing this? I asked myself, feeling Eva's shock when she realized my intensions.

"What do we do?" Visser 3 asked me, and I realized that I was taking a huge risk. What if I had misjudged him, what if this was merely a façade? "We….we are traitors", I slowly said, barely having the courage to look him in the eye. He nodded, a habit I was sure he had picked up from his time spent on earth. "It is the right thing to do", he said, his voice more confident. "We may not survive", I said, looking straight at him this time. "It is the only way to make things right", he maintained, twitching his tail. "Very well", I said in low voice, ignoring Eva's shocked gasp in the back of my mind. "How do we tell them?" I asked him, for the first time knowing with certainty that there was no way back. His eyes bored in to mine, determination evident in them. "We have to send them a messenger", he said, and I nodded, already knowing what to do.

"They might not believe us" He shrugged. "No, I think they will, we just have to prove ourselves". We ended the transmission shortly afterwards, and I slumped forward in my chair, my gaze fixed on the floor. It was done, I had forged an alliance with Visser 3, and together we would betray my people. I still didn't know why, but it didn't matter. We would help the andalite cause in every way we could, and I still couldn't comprehend how seeing the broken female had le me to this in such a short ammount of time. But, in a way that was irrelevant. What was done was done...


End file.
